Our recent reporting offers insights into what this monumental event might mean for the country’s 11 million migrant workers.

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Saudi Arabia has been declared the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, with no other bidders vying for the hosting rights. Saudi’s bid book includes plans to build or renovate 15 stadiums by 2032 and construct over 185,000 hotel rooms, in addition to massive infrastructure projects to facilitate the international event. Construction of some World Cup stadiums has already begun.

Our research has scrutinised reforms and closely documented the realities faced by workers in the Kingdom, particularly since the 2021 overhaul of the labour law. This newsletter provides a summary of our recent reporting and offers insights into what this monumental event — and Saudi’s wider hyper-development — might mean for the country’s 11 million migrant workers.

Read our joint statement on the ([link removed]) award of the 2034 Men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia here. ([link removed])


** Saudi Arabia’s Labour Reforms: Progress or Facade?
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Read our latest comprehensive analysis, Saudi’s Labour Reform Initiative: An Overview ([link removed]) , and follow the timeline of reforms below.

Read Here ([link removed])


** 2021: Reforms Announced
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** March 2021: Saudi Arabia announces Labour Reforms ([link removed])
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Sweeping reforms target migrant workers under the labour law ([link removed]) . On paper, the reforms ease some workers’ ability to transfer jobs and no longer require employers' permission to leave the country. However, absconding laws continue to grant employers significant power and make it difficult for workers to seize their rights. Domestic workers, who number 3.5 million (as of 2022), are excluded from the reforms.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** April 2021: Saudi Arabia issues a directive to stop the use of words like “sale” and “servant” and other terms. ([link removed])
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Recruitment agencies and employers are now banned from using the words “sale” (bey'), “for purchase” (sharaa’), and “concession” (tanazul) when referring to the recruitment or transfer of domestic workers’ services. The order also bans the word “servant,” khadam and stipulates the use of “domestic worker” (a’mala al manzelia) instead. Recent updates to laws that pertain to domestic workers no longer use the term “servants” either. Yet, the change in terminology did not translate into additional protection or enforcement mechanisms to safeguard domestic workers’ rights.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** 2022–2023: Protection Gaps Exposed
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** April 2022: Huroob cases on the rise as Saudi’s Kafala reforms off to a shaky start ([link removed])
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“A huroob charge can destroy your life, you are basically a criminal if you are on huroob.” Huroob is an Arabic word referring to someone who has escaped. According to Saudi labour laws, all employers must report any foreign worker they sponsor who absconds. The absconding system is a major concern among migrant rights advocates because it criminalises employment mobility and can trap workers in abusive working conditions.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** January 2023: Saudi Arabia doubles exit and return visa fees for migrants ([link removed])
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The “exit and re-entry visas” are permits that residents in Saudi Arabia require to temporarily exit the Kingdom and return. Though the 2021 reforms removed the requirement for migrant workers under the labour law to obtain their employer’s permission to leave the country, they must still obtain exit permits from the state. Employers can still issue final exit visas to make it difficult for workers to change jobs. Saudi Arabia remains the only Gulf state that charges migrants fees for exiting and returning to the Kingdom. These fees are among other excessive costs, such as dependent visa fees that burden migrant workers.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** August 2023: Saudi’s new process for transferring domestic workers’ sponsorship is rife with problems ([link removed])
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Employers can now transfer their domestic workers contracts online via the Musaned platform. Previously, this procedure could only be carried out in person at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's labour offices. Given that only online approval is required, employers can easily coerce or falsify consent, particularly as they tend to control access to the devices domestic workers would use to access the Musaned portal, and because contracts do not have to be provided in the workers’ language. In contrast, domestic workers cannot transfer employers without their sponsor’s approval except in extremely limited circumstances.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** October 2023: An overview of Saudi’s new Domestic Workers Law ([link removed])
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The new law is an improvement over the previous regulations governing domestic workers but still does not address the important issue of minimum wage and weak inspection and implementing mechanisms of the old law. Key reforms include an explicit ban on passport confiscation, the establishment of maximum working hours, and the introduction of occupational safety and health regulations for the first time.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** December 2023: Saudi Arabia reduces penalties for employers’ labour law violations ([link removed])
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Saudi Arabia has significantly reduced fines — in some cases by 80% — levied on employers for various contract violations, including wage theft, failure to provide a weekly day off, and passport confiscation.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** 2024: Mixed Signals on Reforms
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** January 2024: Saudi Arabia introduces mandatory contract insurance and other initiatives for domestic worker recruitment ([link removed])
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Alongside several new recruitment agreements with countries of origin and a lower ceiling for recruitment fees paid by employers, Saudi introduced a mandatory insurance scheme for new domestic worker contracts. The scheme provides compensation to both employers and workers in the case of the workers’ abandonment of work and inability to work due to disease or disability, among other limited events. While employers can recoup recruitment fees and flight ticket costs, the compensation coverage and claims process for domestic workers lacks clarity.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** May 2024: Saudi Arabia Extends Wage Protection System to Domestic Workers ([link removed])
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Beginning 1 July 2024, Saudi Arabia expanded its Wage Protection System (WPS) to include domestic workers hired under new contracts. The WPS mandates that employers pay workers’ wages through bank transfers instead of cash, thereby increasing the transparency of salary payments. Saudi will be the first GCC state to require all domestic workers to be paid through the WPS. While a critical step, the WPS requires improvement to adequately safeguard against wage theft; while it appears to register instances of non-payment immediately, action is only taken once workers file cases against their employers.
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** August 2024: Saudi Arabia Introduces Amendments to its Labour Law ([link removed])
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Taking effect on 19 February 2025, the amendments include provisions for resignation, outsourcing, and the inclusion of fishermen in the labour law. Other significant additions include an explicit requirement for employers to provide suitable housing and transportation or adequate compensation in lieu; however, it fails to define what qualifies as “adequate,” leaving room for ambiguity.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** October 2024: A Brief Overview of Saudi’s New Insurance Scheme for Migrant Workers ([link removed])
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The new insurance scheme, called the ‘Insurance Product,” will cover unpaid wages owed to migrant workers in the private sector whose employers default for over six months, as well as the cost of a return ticket for those wishing to go back to their home country. Domestic workers are excluded from the scheme.
Read Here ([link removed])

[link removed]العقيدة-والتأشيرة-الحرة-الفري-فيزا-ت/قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** Saudi Arabia’s Track Record
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** Are reforms only a cosmetic change?
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One of the most alarming reforms is the rollback of sponsor penalties by as much as 80%, leading to a knock on effect of employer impunity while the country prepares for its various mega-projects.

In June 2024, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) filed two complaints against Saudi Arabia with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), emphasising the widespread human rights abuse of migrant workers in the Kingdom, including forced labour. The cases highlighted involve over 20,000 construction workers ([link removed]) who are victims of wage theft and other labour abuses.

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])



** Arbitrary Detention and Deportation Campaigns
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Over the last several years, MR has documented recurring intensive immigration raids and mass deportations without screening migrants for trafficking indicators or false absconding reports from 2021 - 2024. From the start of 2023 until July 2024, Saudi Arabia detained over 1 million migrants, including those with irregular immigration status, expired work permits, or those who entered the country irregularly.
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** December 2021: Letters to MR - Death at a Saudi deportation center ([link removed])
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A Kenyan domestic worker died at a Saudi deportation centre in October 2021. Her family is struggling to understand what happened and to repatriate her remains.

Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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Read Here ([link removed])


** September 2021: Over 80,000 undocumented migrants in Saudi arrested in recent raids ([link removed])
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قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** March 2022: Out with the old: Half a million migrants evicted in Jeddah’s new development project ([link removed])
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قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
Read Here ([link removed])
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** March 2022: Nepali migrants behind bars in GCC plead for help ([link removed])
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“We would get only one bread for dinner, which was not enough,” recalled Thaneshor. He also witnessed clear discrimination among the prisoners. “In the jail where most of the prisoners were Saudi nationals, the wardens would treat me better. But they would appear so rude if there were many international prisoners.”
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** February 2023: Crackdown on “azad” visa holders in Saudi Arabia ([link removed])
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Sponsors sell ‘azad’ (freedom) visas to migrant workers, allowing them the freedom to work for other employers. Though illegal, this practice has let many migrants become self-employed or freelance. Despite being documented, azad holders are vulnerable to detention and deportation, as working for anyone other than their sponsor is illegal.
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** 3.5 million domestic workers are still weakly protected
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Despite introducing a domestic workers law and including domestic workers in the Wage Protection System, domestic workers remain employed under terms inferior to those under the labour law. The lack of enforcement mechanisms, including the inability to inspect workplaces without the sponsor’s permission, undercuts the progress that has been made with new reforms.
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** December 2021: From trafficking to sexual abuse, racial discrimination aggravates abuse of African women in Saudi ([link removed])
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Sarah spent three days in October working on just one mission: to help a domestic worker escape an abusive household. She reached out to everyone she knew in and around Jeddah and eventually managed to secure a 9-hour car ride straight to the worker's embassy in Riyadh. The embassy then helped the woman get a flight back home and out of Saudi Arabia once and for all. “Her employer was going to kill her, and she had to get out,” Sarah says. “She was messaging her family back home. They were asking everyone they could for help, which is how I found out about this. Luckily, I managed to get her out. She is back home and undergoing trauma recovery.”
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])

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** Our Stories of Origin series delves into the lived experiences of migrant returnees from their time in the Gulf. MR has documented several testimonies of workers from Saudi Arabia detailing cases of assault, denial of food and healthcare, and torture at the hands of their employers.
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“If my husband touches you I will kill you” ([link removed]) - Kenya

Ill-prepared and uninformed, Ghanaian women risk it all for jobs in the Gulf ([link removed]) - Ghana

Faith and ‘free’ visas secure the Saudi stranglehold over Bangladeshi migrants ([link removed]) - Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Women: Sought After but Stigmatised ([link removed]) - Bangladesh


** Illness, death, and despair due to working conditions
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** February 2022: A death a day: Nepali workers in Saudi ([link removed])
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Pramod Aracharya’s investigation highlights the systemic issues facing the workers. ‘With one death every day, Saudi Arabia holds the dubious distinction of having the highest mortality rates amongst Nepali workers. With the lack of investigation into the underlying causes of death and stark indifference of authorities, there seems to be little hope for change.’
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** June 2022: Deaths by suicide Nepali migrants struggle with isolation, unmet expectations, and financial burdens ([link removed])
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Facing myriad physical and psychological stress, at least 579 Nepali migrant workers across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have committed suicide in the past 11 years, according to data reviewed by Migrant-Rights.org.

Amid the rising Covid-19 cases in June 2021, Tanka Bahadur Bishwokarma, 50, was found dead outside his workplace in Saudi Arabia. His family back in Chitwan, Nepal, learnt about his death after two days. His daughter Preeti Pokhrel said, “We were told he committed suicide. But I still cannot believe it. The company didn’t say anything about the death. It was mysterious.”

Tanka Bahadur had worked as a marine labourer. To earn extra money, he would also work as the sewist at his labour camp on his off days and after his shifts. A day before his death, he appeared normal on a video call but was coughing, says Preeti. “I’m not sure if he committed suicide due to the fear of Covid. I’m struggling to know how he died. Even if it was suicide, the company should have informed us,” she said.
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** June 2024: “From Frying Pan to Fire”: From Climate-Stricken Villages in Nepal To Extreme Heat in Gulf, Workers Risk Lives for Livelihoods ([link removed])
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Ramesh Yadav had never experienced extreme heat until he arrived in Saudi Arabia. He struggles to breathe, he says, while working under the scorching sun in the Jua’ymah gas processing plant in Ras Tanura. At work, he drinks a lot of water to keep hydrated. Fear looms over him when he sees his coworkers collapsing due to heat exhaustion on the staggeringly hot and unstirring summer days. “Workers faint. Frequently. I get scared. But what can I do? I must continue work unless the company closes the site.”
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** Recruitment and racketeering
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** September 2023: Stories of Origin: Sierra Leone, Risking life and limb - Trafficking is the only form of recruitment for Sierra Leoneans headed to the GCC ([link removed])
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“The baba who buy me from the office sold me to a woman in Saudi. He said it was his sister. First thing he did was take my phone away saying he bought me, I was a slave and there was no need to speak to my children.” “I worked there for a year. Never got paid. And they didn’t even give me food properly. The children beat me and I could not control them. One day the boy bit me,” she laughs, wiggling the pinkie, or what remains of it. With her finger bleeding, and the bitten part hanging loose, she was thrown out of the home. - Aminata, a returnee who was trafficked to Saudi and Kuwait
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** March 2024: Saudi companies opt for subcontracting over direct hires, resulting in acute and unchecked exploitation ([link removed])
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Ranjit Budha* was looking for a steady job and a stable life. When recruitment agents in Kathmandu told him about a job opportunity at Saudi Aramco, Ranjit thought he had found a promising deal. The agents, known as dalals in Nepal, told him he would be directly employed by Aramco for SAR 1700 a month (US$ 450). Not to miss his chance to be employed by the well-known oil and gas giant, he says he paid 150,000 rupees (US$ 1,115) to the firm, bypassing Nepal’s ‘free visa, free ticket’ policy without argument.
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])
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** September 2024: Letters to MR - Worker testimony on Recruitment fraud and forced labour ([link removed])
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I am writing to bring to your attention a serious situation I am currently facing as an employee of Al Mawarid Company in Riyadh. My name is Riyad Pasha, and I have been subjected to abuse and threats by one of the company’s officials.
Read Here ([link removed])

قراءة باللغة العربية ([link removed])


** As emphasised in the joint statement co-signed by Migrant-Rights.org and several other organisations,
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** “In the process of awarding the 2034 World Cup, FIFA’s human rights policies have been exposed as a sham. Without competitive bidding, there was little prospect of bids being rejected – no matter how poor the human rights strategy, or how severe the outstanding risk. There was no consultation with people likely to be impacted by either tournament, nor any evidence of efforts to ensure compliance with international labour standards made to seek meaningful human rights reform.”
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** Read the full statement here ([link removed]) .
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