Overview
- Workers can change employers without sponsor approval and leave the country without exit visas, ending key levers of control under the sponsorship regime.
- The reforms introduce digital employment contracts and route services through Absher and Qiwa platforms, alongside expanded access to labour courts and complaint mechanisms.
- The overhaul affects roughly 13–13.4 million migrants, many from South and Southeast Asia, including an estimated 2.5–2.6 million Indian workers.
- Officials frame the shift as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 to modernise the economy, attract investment and align with international labour standards.
- International organisations and NGOs cautiously welcome the legal changes but warn that enforcement, recruiter oversight and protections for domestic workers remain the critical tests.