Member News

United Arab Emirates

14 May 2025 - Forthcoming Grace Period Announced for Sudanese Nationals in Irregular Status

From May 19 to December 31, 2025, Sudanese nationals in the United Arab Emirates will be able to regularize their immigration status without incurring immigration-related fines for overstaying by either applying for a new visa or otherwise exiting the country. Visa applications can be submitted via the Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security’s platform.

SAUDI ARABIA

25 April 2025 - Visit Visa Entry and Exit Restrictions for Select Nationals

• Entry and exit restrictions for visit visa holders. Immigration practitioners on the ground in Saudi Arabia have noted that it now appears to be the case that, in general, nationals of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen who already hold valid visit visas for business, tourism and family visits can continue to enter and exit Saudi Arabia. This is despite individual cases where travelers have been denied boarding by airlines or entry by immigration officials, and instances of some visit visa holders having received notifications to depart by a specified date. Entry and exit decisions remain at the discretion of Saudi authorities.
• Umrah pilgrims have been given a formal deadline to leave Saudi Arabia by April 29, 2025.
• Temporary suspension on new visit visa issuance. Per visa agents and media reports, there is still a suspension on the issuance of new visit visas for business, tourism, and family visits for nationals of the countries listed above. This suspension is expected to last until the end of June 2025, in line with the end of the Hajj.

28 April 2025 – Temporary Hold on Issuance of Temporary Work Visas

Though there has not been a government announcement, in practice, Saudi Arabia has paused the issuance of Temporary Work Visas (TWV) for all nationals, including applications currently in progress, and removed the TWV quota option on the Qiwa portal until further notice. The hold on TWVs may cause delays and challenges for employers relying on foreign nationals for short-term projects. Employers should reassess timelines, explore alternative staffing options, and consult their immigration practitioners on alternative visa pathways. There has been no official announcement regarding whether TWV holders need to leave Saudi Arabia. Our teams on the ground are monitoring this closely.

28 April 2025 - Saudization of Certain Tourism Professions Forthcoming

Saudi Arabia will introduce Saudization requirements for several roles in the tourism industry over the next three years as follows:

• From April 22, 2026, the Saudization rate for receptionists, information clerks, hotel receptionists, and call center agents will be set at 100%; for branch managers, tour guides, and equivalent roles will be 70%; and for tourist agents, sales representatives and equivalent roles will be 50%.
• From January 3, 2027, chef roles will be subject to a 30% Saudization rate.
• From January 2, 2028, hotel managers, sales managers, and equivalent roles will be subject to a 50% Saudization rate.

These reforms continue a broader trend of Saudi Arabia introducing Saudization reforms in several sectors, including accounting, dentistry, engineering and pharmacy professions, as well as healthcare professions, the consulting sector, and certain engineering employers.

OMAN

16 April 2025 – Nationality Rules Relaxed

Oman has relaxed its nationality rules, including liberalizing eligibility requirements. Foreign nationals can now apply for Omani citizenship after 15 years of continuous legal residence, down from 20 years, unless a more favourable nationality rule applies (like those applicable to foreign spouses of Omani nationals, among others). Additionally, the maximum allowable annual absence without affecting continuous legal residence for citizenship eligibility has increased to 90 days, up from 60 days. Furthermore, Omani citizenship can now be revoked if a citizen resides outside Oman for more than two con-secutive years without a valid reason, replacing the stricter previous rule of six consecutive months within a 10-year period. In addition to these reforms, nationalization rules were relaxed for foreign national spouses of Omani nationals, foreign national widows of Omani men, foreign national divorcees of Omani men, and the children of foreign national fathers and Omani mothers.

KUWAIT

15 April 2025 - Nationality Law Revisions Implemented

An amended nationality law introduces key changes, including:

• Citizenship by marriage no longer allowed. The revised law permanently restricts a foreign national woman married to a Kuwaiti man from acquiring Kuwaiti citizenship through marriage. Previously, they could obtain citizenship following five years of marriage to a Kuwaiti man.
• Citizenship rights for some children of Kuwaiti women. Children born to foreign national fathers and Kuwaiti mothers will be considered a Kuwaiti citizen until the age of 21 if their father is deceased, a prisoner of war, or has divorced the mother. This specific type of citizenship right did not exist under the previous law.
• Verification of ethnic lineage. The law authorizes using modern scientific methods to verify ethnic lineage for naturalization purposes. This approach was not included in the previous legislation.

MOROCCO

14 May 2025 - Mutual Visa Waiver Scheme in Effect

Kazakh nationals can now enter Morocco without a visa for tourism or business for stays of up to 30 days within any 180-calendar day period, and vice versa. However, individuals entering for other purposes (for instance, work, study or family reasons) must still obtain a visa.

PAKISTAN

12 May 2025 - Travel and Immigration Restriction Updates

The Pakistani government has taken restrictive measures following security concerns stemming from an attack in Pahalgam:

• Visa exemptions granted to Indian nationals under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) are revoked, except for Sikh pilgrims. The granting of this status is temporarily suspended until further notice. Indian nationals under the SVES scheme in Pakistan must leave Pakistan by April 26, 2025.
• Pakistan closed the Wagah Border Post.
• Travelers to the affected area should consult with their airlines, travel agencies, and local government for the most current information and recommendations.

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