BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Visaenterprise contains continuously utmost efficient and updated information for entryvisa requirements from the Embassy ofSaudiArabia in Ottawa, Canada. If you need a work/employment visa or any visa to enter Saudi Arabia, smart step to do is to visit www.visaenterprise.com. The visa process is multipart and lengthy, but we have listed all needed information and requirements below in detail, in order to make your journey an easy and worry-free. Visaenterprise knowledgeable staff will be here to support and guide you step-by step in your Saudi Arabian visa or legalization of documents.

Saudi Employment Visa information and process From A to Z:

·Visa authorization/Block Visa:The Visa authorization is the set quota of visas that the ministry of Labor and foreign affairs has approved for the employer/sponsor. For example schools, Universities reserve for the academic year a set 120 visas for teachers that they plan to hire.

·The sponsor in Saudi Arabia must apply for a visa authorization through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

·Tafweed / Electronic power of Attorney number: When the employer finds their desired employee, then they need to link him/her with that block of visas that they pre-ordered. In order to achieve that they will link you to their block of visas and issue you a document called the Tafweed/ Power of Attorney. It is worth mentioning that the term Power of Attorney in this context is not the same as they common legal sense. Also in Canada the Saudi embassy request the Tafweed to be issued to the applicant name as written in their passportwithout mentioning the visa agency name or its licensed number.

·The sponsor must provide the applicant with a copy of the Letter of Sponsorship (Tafweed). The sponsoring company's business registration certificate must be attached.

·Visa restrictions:Work visa applicants must be over 22 years of age. Applicant must be in good health and fit for performing job duties.

·Processing time for my Saudi Arabian Visa: All visas are issued under the discretion of the Consular at the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa, There is no fixed time for Saudi visas to be issued, and the processing of the visas will be conducted according to the order in which it is received at the embassy. Key point your file has to be completed with all visa requirements, following the checklist for your visa type in our website. Visa usually can be issued in few days through Visaenterprise, Visaenterprise strongly advise that you submit your application well ahead of your departure date.

What, How and When you do?

Step 1- Receiving official documents from your Saudi sponsor:

Afterward you accept an employment offer, your sponsor (i.e., your future employer in Saudi Arabia) must provide you with a power of attorney, a copy of the block visa and the contract signed and stamped by chamber of commerce and ministry of foreign affairs then you can start your visa process.

Step 2 – Obtain efficient and accurate visa requirements:

Next, you should educate yourself regarding the requirements for Saudi Arabian employment / work visa listed on www.visaenterprise.com which is always a up to date with the latest information about all types of Saudi Arabian visas including employment visa, business / commercial visa, resident visa, resident visa for new born baby, working visit visa, government visa, family visa, extend return visa and escort visa to Saudi Arabia.

For any type of Saudi Arabian visas, If you look for the right start, then you should email the documents that you received from your Saudi Arabian sponsor to us, then we will reply to you with the type of visa you should apply for and what the requirements you should prepare and submit.

Step 3- Calculate/ Measure your steps:

Proceed with the following requests immediately if you are applying for employment or resident visa (as they require the most amount of time to complete). The urgent items are:

i.Medicals:Schedule an appointment with your physician or any medical centre to complete your medical examination using the embassy issued medical report that can be found on the Visaenterprise website under Saudi employment visa, including the required medical lab tests and medical forms. The medical lab tests and medical reports must be completed within three months of the date of your visa application is submitted to the embassy. The official Embassy Medical Report form must be completed in full by a physician licensed in Canada. The name, license number, signature, and address of the physician should appear clearly on the completed medical report. After the Medical Report Form has been completed by your physician, you must submit it to the College of Physicians and Surgeons in your province for verification/stamping. The stamp from the College verifies that the physician who completed your medical forms is a true/licensed physician in Canada. To complete this step, please contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons in your province directly. Depending on where their office is located, you will need to either visit themin personto complete your request, or send your request inby courier. Please note that for requests completed by courier, you may wish to provide the College with return prepaid envelope addressed to Visaenterprise, so that they can forward your original stamped Medical Report Form to our office directly when it is ready. All medical lab test results (required for the visa) must accompany your Medical Report form (any copies must be initialed by your physician). You must ensure that your medical report has been issued less than 3 months from the date of embassy submission.

Please ensure/ advise/ instruct physician to put all markings on the medical report as checkmarks regardless of the column being marked, there should be no words or numbers . If your physician marks anything in the "Negative"/abnormal column on any of your test results, please ensure that you receive a doctor’s note explaining the condition/ Negative result, stating that you are fit for work, and confirming that the condition will not affect the quality of, or ability to, work. For example if you have a vaccination against Hepatitis B then it may show up as "positive” even though you don’t carry the infection, thus in this case the physician must clarify why it shows up as positive and if you have a copy of the vaccination record please provide it.

Notes:

·If medical report is done outside of Canada, it must be authenticated by the KSA Embassy in that country.

·If the medical report is issued in KSA it must be authenticated by MOFA.

ii.Passport Validity: Ensure that your passport has two full blank head-to-head pages, and that it is signed and valid for more than six months.in Case of applying for Saudi employment visa at Saudi embassy in Ottawa and your current passport is due to expire before the end of your signed contract, preferable to apply for a new passport, please note that your passport Number is not link with your visa authorization but your names as written at your passport.( this mean changing your passport it will not affect your Saudi Arabian visa authorization nor your contract).

iii.Education and training verification: (this if you applying for Saudi employment visa)

A.Always use a Notarized copies (Tocertifyorattestby a member of notary public/lawyer or a commissioner of oath that certifies copy is a true duplicate of original) You need to produce notarized copies of original Canadian education document OR if you completed your professional education abroad, if your original educational document are non-Canadian issued please make sure to be attested by Saudi mission at the country of issuance. The document must be in English, French or Arabic — if your document is in a language other than the aforementioned languages then, it must be translated. If you have lost/misplaced your original diploma/degree/certificate or board/registration document, you will need to request an original Status Letter/Verification Letter from your school or registration board, signed, and on official letterhead. This document must state your name, program/professional registration, and year of graduation/registration, as it will be used in lieu of your original diploma/degree/certificate/board registration document.

B.In the case of an education degree that does not match the job title in the contract or visa authorization then you must provide employment experience letters and/or related certificates plus in some cases a letter from Saudi employer that provides proof of their knowledge of your professional experience and suitability for the job listed in the contract/ visa authorization may be required. Send an original employment letter from a previous/current employer in Canada. For example Adam Brown graduates from the Faculty of Arts with a Major in Psychology, however he obtained certificates for teaching English to non-native speakers and he has been working as an English teacher for a number of years. He got a job in Saudi Arabia with a job title of English teacher that requires a University degree in English, English literature or Linguistics, then he may apply with his Psychology arts degree plus the certificates and documentation of his experience.

C.The experience letter must be on letterhead stating your name, position duties (the profession/title on this document must match your profession as listed on your contract), and period of employment. This step is done to verify that you have been working in the area/profession as stated on your employment contract for Saudi Arabia.

Note:

·Foreign Degrees/document must be certified by Saudi Cultural bureau in the country of issue.

·Advisable to make more than one notarized copy for your educational documents, one copy will be submitted to the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa when you apply for your Saudi employment visa, other copies to keep with you when you travel to Saudi Arabia.

iv.Name as recorded in your documents:

If your name has changed (i.e. the surname on any of your official/educational documents is different from the one as appearing on your passport), ensure that you provide copies of the applicable legal name change documents. This is to prove that the official documents (usually education/registration documents) and the passport belong to the same person. Lets say Nancy Smith graduated from Teachers College under her family name and then married Mr. Jones and became Nancy Jones and uses that name on her passport then she will need to prove that Nancy Smith and Nancy Jones are one and the same.

v.If you have converted to Islam, please also include a copy of your conversion certificate. Also, if you are Muslim (even if born into the faith), but your name is not a traditional Arabic Muslim name, the Embassy may request a letter from your mosque, confirming that you are Muslim, this because employment sensitive in specific areas and fields.

vi.Police clearance report/ Certificate- for a Saudi employment visa/ resident visa if you are above 18 years of age then you must provide an original valid Canadian Police Records Check. (Less than three months from the issuing date – you can obtain this certificate simply by NAME SEACH only and no need for fingerprint processing). This can be obtained either going directly to the local police station or from an online services provider such as backcheck.net.

vii.Permanent Resident Card: Non-Canadian applicants must submit a notarized photocopy of their valid residency permit (Permanent Residence Card). Send only a copy of the front and back sides of the PR card. The copy must be notarized by a Notary Public and stamped by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development. The Notary must state on the copy that it's a true copy of the original.

viii.Terminating your current employment:Do not give notice to your current place of employment until your work visa has been issued. The visa issuing process can be quite long if you do not submit the proper requirements.

Step 4

At this point, you have completed the major time consuming requirements of STEP 1,2 and 3 which to repeat, are:

i. medical report;

ii. valid passport;

iii. Education and experience documents are in order;

iv. Obtain you police clearance record.

Step 5

Now start working on your remaining documents (as listed on Visaenterprise Saudi Visa section under employment visa). As soon as they are all complete, please hand or courier them (using registered/ tracked postal service such as FedEx, UPS, CanadaPost, Puralator & DHL) to Visaenterprise Ottawa office. Make sure before sending your documents that you use the checklist provided on our Visaenterprise website under your visa type to ensure that you have obtained all the requirements. This is necessary in order to ensure no missing documentation and no delay in visa submission to the embassy. http://visaenterprise.com/saudi-arabia-visa-requirements.aspx

I.Completed visa application form that leaves no parts incomplete. For mother, father and spousal name the given first name is sufficient. If you have only one nationality then rewrite it in the previous nationality section. However if you are a dual citizen/ dual passport holder then mention the passport you are using to apply for the visa as current nationality and the other nationality to be documented under the previous nationality section.

II.Photos specifications : Must be a recent color (No more than a month old) photographs (4x6 cm) on a plain white background (write name, signature and stamp date on back).; No Selfies, no simple paper photos, no personal camera photos, must be taken by a professional studio, can be a Canadian passport size photo

III.Copy of the final exit visa/ letter of release from your previous Saudi employer (if you previously worked in Saudi Arabia): you will need to provide this document. Without a copy of the exit visa, the Saudi Embassy may refuse to grant you a work visa. Similarly a letter of work experience that contains the start and end date of your employment is also acceptable. Always obtain those and save them.

IV.If you have a residency in any Gulf country the Saudi embassy may require you to cancel that residency prior to issuing the Saudi employment visa. If you have a valid Saudi visa issued by a Saudi embassy other than the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa then they may require you to cancel that visa at the embassy in which it was issued. This must be done on your own accord.

V.If you work or have any relation with the military/ Armed Forces then you must have an official letter/ document letter detailing your job title, associated duties, employment start and end dates. Some countries have some form of compulsory military service such as Egypt, Jordan & Syria. In such cases the Embassy may require proof of your military status (i.e., Served, Not Served or Exempt)

Step 6
Once your visa has been issued*, the Saudi Embassy will return your passport (with the visa stamped inside) to your authorized company. All other documentation belongs to the embassy;

When you get your visa in your hand then arrange your travel and air tickets with your sponsor.

Once you have your passport (with the visa stamped inside), and your airline ticketing in hand, you are set to begin your adventure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

At this point you may breathe a deep sigh of relief and be prepared to equip yourself with the necessary patience required for the adaptation to a new lifestyle, environment and mentality. Visaenterprise would like to express and wish you a successful journey and great professional experience that will empower you in life. All that is left to say to you is رحلة سعيدة و مع السلامة (pronounced, rḥlah sʿīdah maʿa salaama) - Arabic for "Happy & Peaceful Journey" in English, or "Bon Voyage" in French.