Tips, how-tos and explainers on Iqama, visas, jobs, banking, driving and everyday life in the Kingdom.
A recent enforcement wave made real headlines: more than 12,600 expatriates were deported from Saudi Arabia in a single week at the end of July, alongside over 14,000 arrests for residency, labor, and border security violations. Numbers like that understandably make people nervous — but the right response isn't anxiety, it's simply making sure your own paperwork is genuinely in order.
02 Aug 2026If you sponsor a domestic worker — a housemaid, driver, or similar household staff member — under your Iqama, a recent update has made the renewal process noticeably more flexible through Absher, cutting down on some of the friction that used to make this a more manual, in-person task.
30 Jul 2026Most expats know their Iqama by its expiry date, their photo, and maybe their Iqama number. Far fewer pay close attention to a small line on the card and inside their Absher and Qiwa dashboards labeled "Mehna" — Arabic for profession. In 2026, that field has quietly become one of the most consequential pieces of information tied to your residency status.
23 Jul 2026The year 2026 has brought some of the most significant residency reforms to Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. Among these, the introduction of the new 5-Year Physical Iqama (Resident ID) is the most talked-about update.
14 Jul 2026The old method of dividing expat professions into simple "professional" and "non-professional" categories is gone. In 2026, Saudi Arabia is fully enforcing the Skill-Based Classification System , aligned with the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations (SSCO) .
14 Jul 2026One of the most common stressful situations for expats in Saudi Arabia is when their employer fails to renew their Iqama, leaving them in an irregular status.
14 Jul 2026Everything you need to renew your Saudi Iqama online through Absher and Muqeem, including fees, timing and common mistakes to avoid.
08 Jul 2026