BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia, like all other countries, requires that expatriate employees hold an employment visa. Although the process is detailed and exacting, we guide you through each step in the process.
An Employment Visa for Saudi Arabia requires:
a) Verification of your education/work experience
b) Medical Reports
c) Police Clearance Certificate
d) Visa Application Form
a) Verification of your education/work experience
In order to authenticate your education and employment, you will need to send your original diploma/degree and one original employment letter from a Canadian employer to our office.
Once our office has received both original documents (i.e., your original diploma/degree AND your original employment letter), we will have both documents notarized. The notarized copies will be forwarded to The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canada for stamping/authentication.
Your notarized degree will be sent to the Saudi Cultural Bureau for further stamping. You will also need to request an official set of transcripts to be sent from your school directly to the Saudi Cultural Bureau.
b) Medical Reports
We will send you the official Saudi Embassy Medical Report and list of required medical tests to complete. The medical lab tests and medical reports must be completed within three months of the date that your visa application is submitted to the Embassy.
A Canadian licensed physician must complete the official Embassy Medical Report form in full. The lab results for all the required lab tests must accompany the Embassy Medical Report form. Please note that the original Embassy Medical form and lab results will need to be sent to our office.
c) Police Clearance
You will need to complete a Canada-wide "name and date-of-birth" search that can be completed by your local police station. It must state that you have no record and no outstanding warrants. A fingerprint search is not required. This document must be dated within 6 months of when your visa application is submitted. The original certificate will need to be couriered to our office.
d) Visa Application Form
Complete the Visa Application form, which we will provide you. Please send the original completed form along with 2 passport photos and your original passport to our office.
Please note that you may send us all of the documents required for your employment visa in one package
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NOTES & FYIs:
Visa restrictions: Work visa applicants must be over 22 years of age. The Embassy will only issue work visas to persons under the age of 60.
Providing notice to your current employer: Do not give notice to your current place of employment until your work visa has issued and your medicals cleared by your sponsor.
Medicals: If your physician marks anything in the "Positive/Abnormal" column on any of your results/forms, please ensure that you receive a letter explaining the condition, stating that you are fit for work, and confirming that the condition will not affect your quality of, or ability to, work.
Name change documentation: If your name has changed (i.e., the surname of any of your official documents is different from the one as appearing on your passport), ensure that you provide copies of the applicable legal name change documents. This is to prove that the official documents (usually education/registration documents) and the passport belong to the same person.
Permanent Resident Card: In the case of a non-Canadian application (an applicant who is not eligible for a Canadian passport) being processed in Canada, a valid residency permit (permanent resident card) is required. Without this document, work visa processing would need to be completed at the Saudi Embassy in the country of which the candidate is a citizen.
Embassy Visa Application Form: Ensure that this form is completed in full (typed out or handwritten in black ink in block letters) and signed. Your recruitment company will cover the visa processing fees. Please note that work visas are valid for 3 months from date of issue (i.e., you must enter Saudi Arabia within 3 months of the visa's issue date.) The religion field must be filled out on this form.
Passport Photos: There must be 4cm by 6cm. Dress conservatively for your passport photos, and avoid wearing religious symbols (e.g., crosses). It is best that you travel with 10 additional photos with you to Saudi Arabia. You will find that almost everything you apply for a requires a photo (gym membership, residency permit etc.)
Finally, over almost 40 years, we have processed thousands of employment visas and are happy to answer all and any questions.
