Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Qiwa platform, under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), has canceled the condition of obtaining foreign worker’s consent for changing profession in their iqama (residency permit).

This is applicable to eight professions that were recently included in the platform. These professions are doctor, expert, specialist, engineer, specialized expert, monitoring technician, worker, and ordinary worker.

The worker’s approval is usually required when changing his profession in exchange for an amount of SR2,000 with the exception of the eight professions of which the change is considered as a ‘correction’ of professions. These professions will be allowed to be corrected only once without fees.

The platform stated that an accurate description of the professions to be recruited is required for any future recruitment. It will not be allowed to recruit any worker in the professions mentioned previously. The change of profession is limited to the Qiwa platform for the workers of establishments only while the platform is not concerned with individuals.

The company/establishment will be obliged to detail the specialization of doctor, specialist, engineer, specialized expert and monitoring technician. There will be 67 alternative professions for each of the worker and the ordinary worker professions.

These included the worker of gas station, food and beverage counter, personal care, concrete, vehicle paint, paint industries, cleaning roofs of buildings, cranes, leather crafts, printing and binding works, maintenance of electrical appliances, installation of communications and information technology lines, preserving fruits and vegetables, embroidery, pest control, mining, furniture assembly.

It also included the worker in plastic and metal products assembly, paperboard assembly, hotel management, cleaning offices and facilities, unique professions, car parking, laundry, ironing, washing carpets and rugs, cleaning vehicles, cleaning water tanks, sewage, farm animals, poultry and birds farm, mobile vehicle washing, street cleaning, garden cleaning, stables, egg hatching, agricultural and animal production farms.

Included in the list are workers of green spaces, nursery, forests, pastures, forest fire fighting, fish farm, fishing, mine, quarry, constructions, road maintenance, asphalting, digging, cemetery, building, concrete mix, demolition, packaging, labeling, manufacturing, product sorting, workshop, wheelbarrow work, bicycle transport, animal cart driving, loading and unloading, packing shelves, warehouse, cleaning kitchen utensils, and kitchen work.

It is noteworthy that in March last year, the MHRSD revealed that employment contracts for expatriate workers in the private sector can be accessed and updated through its Qiwa platform. Business owners are being encouraged to take advantage of the Qiwa service, which will streamline the process, help attract best talent and reduce labor disputes.

There are more than 85 services provided through Qiwa. One of its clear benefits is that it enables expatriate workers to move from one employer to another at the end of their current contract without their existing employer’s approval.

Effective from May 12 this year, employee work contracts are being approved and documented on the Qiwa platform only, the ministry confirmed. MHRSD has so far transferred all the documented contracts of the employees to the Qiwa platform and that is in cooperation with the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).