Hada News
Saudi Arabia lets highly skilled expats bring spouses, sons under 25 and unmarried daughters as their own work visa is completed
The Ministry of Interior said on 6 October that family entry visas for highly skilled foreign workers can now be issued at the same time as the worker's employment visa, so households no longer have to wait for the earner to arrive and settle first. Residence permits for the family are finished after arrival.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday 6 October a new procedure that lets highly skilled foreign workers bring their families into the Kingdom while their own work visa is being completed, rather than afterwards. The measure was coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, according to the ministry statement carried by Saudi Gazette, Sabq and Okaz.
Who is covered: the head of household's spouse, sons under the age of 25 and unmarried daughters. As long as the application meets every requirement, the family's entry visas can be granted at the same time as the worker's own employment visa is finalised. Iqama (residence permit) procedures for the family members are then completed after they arrive in the Kingdom, under the applicable laws and regulations.
What changes in practice: until now, the usual route was for the worker to arrive first, obtain an iqama, and only then sponsor dependants. The new step lets a family travel together from day one. The ministry framed the move as part of efforts to improve quality of life for residents.
What the statement did not say: it did not publish the list of occupations or the threshold that defines a "highly skilled" worker, and it did not announce a separate fee. Existing dependant fees and iqama costs are not mentioned as changing, so families should budget for them as before.
Why it matters: for engineers, clinicians, data specialists and other professionals weighing a move to Saudi Arabia, the time spent apart from a spouse and children has often been the hardest part of relocation. Because the ceiling for sons is 25, many university-age children are included.
Sources: Ministry of Interior statement, 6 Oct 2026, via Saudi Gazette, Sabq and Okaz.
Watch next: the occupation list and skill-level criteria used to decide who qualifies, and how the option appears on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform.