How Do I Get Long Term Saudi Arabia Dependent Visa for my Parents?

Saudi Arabia has been ranked number 13 on the list of the world’s largest countries. In terms of economy, the GDP of Saudi Arabia is 833.54 billion USD with an increase of 3.24% from the last year. The total unemployment rate at KSA is 8.22%. So, this means you are likely to find a job to pay your expenses. However, if you still find difficulty in finding a job, you may offer freelance academic writing services to students studying in universities (professionalessayservice, 2018). The people or students who move to Saudi Arabia for education or employment purposes also look for ways to bring their parents along with them. This post aims to elaborate on the various ways through which you can avail long-term Saudi Arabia-dependent visa for your parents.

Given these facts, a lot of people move to Saudi Arabia for employment or residence. Likewise, students may also move to Saudi Arabia for higher studies or diplomas. These students may avail online HND Assignment Help services to help them with their assignments.

Ways to Get Long-Term Saudi Arabia Dependent Visa for Parents

A permanent residence facility is not available for parents in Saudi Arabia. In fact, most countries do not permit a permanent visa or residence for the parents. Only your spouse and children are allowed to accompany you abroad for a permanent residence.

However, this does not mean that your parents cannot visit you in Saudi Arabia. There are different types of other visas that permit parents to visit their children in Saudi Arabia. Though these visas are not liable to a permanent residence.

So, what can you do?

Apply for a Visit Visa!

Different types of visas are granted to nationals and residents of Saudi Arabia by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The MOFA grants the family visit visa that facilitates your parents to visit you in Saudi Arabia. A visit visa is a type of visa that is granted to families of Saudi nationals or legal residents who live outside of the country and wish to travel home to the Kingdom to see their relatives (Oxford Analytica, 2021).

However, there are certain conditions that must be in place in order to allow you to request a visit visa for your parents.

You must be an Iqama Holder to be eligible for a visit visa application!

But what is an Iqama? Iqama is a residence permit that is issued to foreign migrants who come to Saudi Arabia on an employment visa.

According to the policy of Saudi Arabia,

“The visitor’s family visit visa can only be requested by a legitimate Saudi resident or citizen who holds an Iqama. The Iqama needs to be valid for a period of four months for this.”

The application for a family visit visa in Saudi Arabia by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) can only be initiated or requested by you if you hold an Iqama.

Please be aware that dependents who do not already possess Iqamas from the Iqama holder are not eligible to apply for visit visas on their own!

It is also important to understand that only the immediate family members are eligible for the visit visa application. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the following people are qualified for a family visit visa:

Parents
Children
Step-father
Mother-in-Law
Siblings and their respective families

Types of Visit Visa

Two types of visit visas are granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Saudi Arabia. One is known as a single entry visa and the other is known as a multiple entry visa. The single entry visa has a duration of about 30 days and is valid for months. On the other hand, a multiple entry visa has a duration of 90 days and is valid for a year.

Prepare Your Documents

Once you have met all the eligibility criteria, it is now time for you to apply. But before that make sure you have the following documents prepared.

Copy of the passport of the Iqama holder (if you are yourself an Iqama holder, you may use your passport to sponsor your parents)
The passport must be valid internationally. And at the time of application, the passport must have at least 6 months of validity period intact.
Further, you will need to arrange passport-size pictures and a copy of the Iqama as a token of proof for your residency permit.
Authenticated copy of the applicant’s national identification card.
Marriage license that may need to be apostille.

Once you have all the necessary documents, the application for a visit visa must be filled out and duly signed and stamped by the Iqama holder. The application form must be filled out online and afterward, a printout is taken.

Additional Information

In the case of employees working at Private companies, the Saudi Chamber of Commerce will certify the MOFA application form for employees, if required. The sponsoring business or the sponsor themselves can attest to their chamber of commerce online. On the other hand, if you are a government employee, you are eligible to directly send your application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Please be aware that domestic workers’ employers can approve their visas via their Absher accounts. The application form need not be submitted anyplace by them.

Once the application has been signed and stamped by the Iqama holder and submitted to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, it takes about a week or less than a week in some cases for the application approval status to appear on the MOFA portal. On the MOFA website, under the ‘Enquiry’ column, you can use the order number and the applicant’s record number (Iqama number) to verify the progress of the MOFA visa application.

The MOFA website will show “Visa Document” in place of the “Request a Family Visa” application form once the visa request has been approved. The applicant’s “Order Number” has also been replaced with their “Visa Document Number.”

Conclusion

You may not be able to avail yourself of a permanent residence for your parents in Saudi Arabia. However, you may still invite them to visit you in Saudi Arabia on a visit visa.

References

PES. 2018. Choose Essay Help Online Services. Online Available at <https://www.professionalessayservice.co.uk/choose-essay-help-online-services/> [Accessed on 21^st June 2022].

Oxford Analytica, New Saudi visa rules will struggle to spur investment. Emerald Expert Briefings, (oxen-DB).