Member News

United Arab Emirates

26 June 2025 - Mandatory GPSSA Online Registration for GCC National Employees in Abu Dhabi

Employers in Abu Dhabi must now register their entities and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) national employees for social security contributions via the General Pension & Social Security Authority’s (GPSSA) online platform, Ma’ashi. This new process ensures streamlined registration, enhanced compliance, and efficient management of pension contributions for GCC national employees. Previously, registration and de-registration applications for GCC nationals were submitted via email to the GPSSA if the entity was already registered with Abu Dhabi Pension Fund; no additional entity registration with GPSSA was required. Email use is no longer required and all processes are handled on the online portal.

03 July 2025 - Temporary Pause on Issuing Freelance Visas

The United Arab Emirates has temporarily paused issuing freelance visas – a form of residency permit that allows foreign nationals to legally work and reside in the United Arab Emirates as self-employed professionals. Renewals of freelance visas remain unaffected. The reason for the pause and its expected duration is unknown. Fragomen will publish additional information as developments occur.

08 July 2025 - Scientists and Specialists Permit Now Subject to Minimum Employee Headcount

Sponsoring employers for the direct approval route of the ‘Scientists and Specialists’ Golden Visa category must now have a minimum number of employees; whereas pre-viously, no such minimum employee threshold existed. The new thresholds vary across emirates and free zones – ranging from as low as seven employees (though typically 20) in some Dubai free zones, to as high as 100 employees in Abu Dhabi. These thresholds have not been published in any official guidance and are instead communicated on an ad hoc basis during application processes. For smaller employers (especially those in Abu Dhabi), these thresholds may limit employer support for oth-erwise eligible applicants and they may need to consider alternate immigration path-ways.

09 July 2025 - New Visa Types and Visa Reforms Forthcoming

Effective August 10, 2025, the United Arab Emirates will:

• introduce new visa categories, including for artificial intelligence professionals, event attendees, individuals engaged in commercial gaming activities, and cruise ship passengers;
• make eligibility requirements more restrictive for the Visa for Exploring Business Opportunities;
• change entry criteria for entry visas to visit a friend or relative to require proof of a minimum monthly income, and also to expand sponsor eligibility; and
• allow foreign widows or divorcees of UAE nationals without children to apply for a residence permit, introduce specific income thresholds for sponsoring dependents, remove sponsor requirements, and restrict travel flexibility for foreign nationals whose countries are affected by wars, disaster, or unrest.

SAUDI ARABIA

01 July 2025 - Visit Visa Entry and Exit Restrictions for Select Nationals

The suspension is now over and visit visas for business, tourism, and family visits for the below nationals are again being issued. Currently, only single-entry visas are being issued for these nationals, allowing a maximum stay of up to 90 days. Additionally, Letters of Invitation are being issued without specifying visa validity or the number of permitted entries. The final decision on visa validity and the option of single or multiple entries remain at the discretion of the Saudi authorities.

10 July 2025 - Grace Period for Foreign Nationals in Irregular Status

Saudi Arabia has implemented a grace period in effect until July 26, 2025, for foreign nationals whose visit visas - whether for business, tourism, or family purposes -  have expired. The grace period allows them to regularize their status and exit the country legally. Affected individuals seeking to regularize their stay in Saudi Arabia must submit a request through the Tawasul service on the Ministry of Interior’s Absher platform and must settle all applicable fees and penalties, including those arising due to their period of irregular status.

OMAN

24 June 2025 - Grace Period Announced for Foreign Nationals in Irregular Status

From now until July 31, 2025, foreign nationals in Oman can regularize their immigration status without incurring any immigration-related fines for overstaying by either applying for a new visa or exiting the country. Affected individuals are encouraged to benefit from this initiative and regularize their immigration status within the given time frame by visiting the nearest Royal Oman Police office.

24 June 2025 - Mandatory Engineering Accreditation Requirement Forthcoming

Effective August 1, 2025, all engineers working in Oman will need to obtain a professional accreditation from the Oman Society of Engineers to be eligible for new or re-newed work permits. Currently, engineers do not need to provide any such accreditation when applying for, or renewing, work permits. This requirement will apply to both current and future engineering professionals across all establishments in Oman. Failure to comply with this new regulation may lead to delays or denials in the work permit issu-ance or renewal process.

KUWAIT

18 June 2025 - Mandatory Exit Permits for Foreign Nationals Exiting Kuwait Forthcoming

Effective July 1, 2025, foreign nationals employed in the private sector will be required to obtain an exit permit before leaving the country – regardless of whether the departure is temporary or permanent. Currently, such foreign nationals do not require any exit permit. To obtain an exit permit, employees will need to first initiate a request via the Sahel application (including personal details, travel dates and methods of transportation). Their employer will then need to approve the request via the Ashal portal. Once approved, the exit permit should be immediately accessible on the employee’s Sahel application. Delays may occur during the initial implementation phase of this new policy. It remains unclear at this stage whether multiple-use or long-term exit permits will be offered. We are continuing to monitor the situation.

26 June 2025 - Stricter Enforcement of Academic Qualification Requirements for Residence Permit Renewals and Employer Transfers

The Public Authority of Manpower now more strictly enforces existing rules regarding academic qualification alignment with job titles for several processes.

First, Residence Permit renewal approvals will be based on the academic qualification submitted with the initial permit application. The job title will be updated to align with the level of that qualification. If a higher qualification is submitted with the renewal application, it will be rejected unless the original (lower) qualification is authenticated. If a lower qualification than the original (higher) application is submitted and the individual no longer holds the lower qualification, the renewal will be based on the original (higher) qualification. The job title must then be adjusted according to that level, provided it is still relevant to the same professional field.

Employer Transfers requests will be more strictly assessed based on the academic qualification used for the initial work permit. Previously, this was not strictly enforced in practice. Transfers may be denied if the submitted qualification does not align with the new job title, whereas previously this was not strictly enforced.

Employers must ensure that job titles on work permits are consistent with the employee’s academic qualifications before initiating renewals or transfer requests. Non-compliance may result in permit rejections, denied transfers, and potential workforce disruptions.

MIDDLE EAST

19 June 2025 - Mandatory Entity Registration with the Online Portal of Select GCC Pension and Social Security Authorities

Select Gulf Cooperation Council pension and social security authorities now require Gulf Cooperation Council employers to register their entities with the respective online portals.

• Bahrain – Social Insurance Organization (SIO): Registration with the SIO online portal is mandatory, as it is the only platform for accessing monthly in-voices and updating Bahraini employees’ salaries annually.
• Oman – Social Protection Fund (SPF): Although not mandatory, registration with the SPF portal is strongly recommended, as it is the only way to access monthly invoices and ensure pension payments are made to the correct em-ployer-specific bank account.
• Saudi Arabia – General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI): GOSI requires employers to register on its online portal to process any pension-related applications, and prompt registration is essential to avoid delays, especially for those with active Saudi nationals.

ABOUT FRAGOMEN

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated to immigration services worldwide. The firm has nearly 5,500 professionals and staff in 62 offices located in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA. Overall, Fragomen offers support in more than 170 countries.

We are structured to support all aspects of global immigration, including strategic planning, efficiency, quality management, compliance, government relations, reporting, and case management and processing. These capabilities allow us to represent a broad range of companies, organizations and individuals, working in partnership with clients to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide.

Our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice also provides corporate services, including social security assistance, end-to-end corporate setup, corporate secretarial services, corporate amendments, restructuring activities and more. Our corporate services and immigration professionals have extensive experience working with multinational businesses, conglomerates, local employers, start-ups and individual investors. We have a deep understanding of the MENA region and maintain strong professional relationships with relevant authorities.

To learn more about how we can assist you, please visit our website at www.fragomen.com or contact us at [email protected].