Saudi Arabia tightens work visa rules for Indian workers
New Delhi: From January 14, Indian workers applying for Saudi Arabia work visas will need to complete a mandatory pre-verification of their professional and academic qualifications.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Indians constitute the second-largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, with over 2.4 million residents, following Bangladesh.
This move, proposed six months ago, aims to limit the influx of Indian workers due to the scarcity of qualified training centres, ensuring stricter quality control. The reforms align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to make the labour sector more flexible for expatriates while enforcing stricter certification requirements for specific job roles.
A circular issued by the Saudi mission in India, accessed by The New Indian Express, confirmed the implementation of professional verification procedures as a prerequisite for issuing work visas.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has updated rules concerning residency permits (Iqama) and exit/re-entry visas. The General Directorate of Passports announced on X that expats outside the kingdom can now renew Iqamas and extend the duration of single or multiple exit/re-entry visas. Dependents and domestic workers located abroad are also eligible for these renewals and extensions.
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Delhi elections: Items worth over Rs 21 crore seized within week of MCC coming into force
New Delhi (PTI): The office of the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) informed on Monday that in the run-up to the Assembly polls in the capital, cash and other items like liquor, worth more than Rs 21 crore, have been seized by various departments within a week of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into effect.
The MCC was implemented on January 7, immediately after the announcement of the poll schedule. Voting for Delhi's 70 Assembly constituencies is scheduled to take place on February 5, with the results set to be declared on February 8.
The MCC is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission (EC) to ensure free and fair polls. It regulates the conduct of the political parties and candidates, covering areas such as meetings, processions, election manifestoes, polling and general behaviour during the electoral process.
According to data provided by the Delhi CEO's office, the highest value of seized items was reported in East Delhi, amounting to Rs 6.83 crore. South Delhi followed closely with Rs 6.81 crore, while the New Delhi area recorded the lowest seizures worth Rs 3.9 lakh.
In all, items worth Rs 21.89 crore have been confiscated across the capital. This includes Rs 9.8 crore in cash, precious metals worth Rs 6.1 crore, drugs worth Rs 5.05 crore, freebies worth more than Rs 47 lakh and liquor worth over Rs 45 lakh.
Earlier in the day, during an interaction with the media, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Alice Vaz said preparations for the Assembly polls are progressing smoothly.
Training programmes for the polling personnel have begun and critical data related to nominations, permissions and enforcement activities are being monitored daily, she added.
The CEO emphasised the importance of mapping the vulnerable and critical polling stations to ensure smooth voting.
"We will follow all the instructions of the Election Commission of India for the mapping of the vulnerable polling stations," she said.
Police deployments and security arrangements for the elections are yet to be finalised, Vaz noted.
