Bring Your Family to Saudi Arabia With Your Work Visa: New Rule for Skilled Pakistanis
Saudi Arabia lets skilled workers bring a spouse, sons under 25 and unmarried daughters alongside the work visa from 6 October 2026. Who qualifies, what to do.
Saudi Arabia now lets skilled expatriate workers bring their wife or husband, sons under 25 and unmarried daughters at the same time as their own work visa is being finished. The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the change on 6 October 2026. Residence permits for the family are then completed after they arrive.
For a Pakistani engineer, nurse or accountant with a Saudi job offer, this matters. Until now the usual order was: fly alone, get the iqama (the Saudi residence card), then start the family's papers. That gap often ran into months. Under the new Saudi family visa rule, the family can come in on the same timeline as the worker, if the worker counts as skilled.
Below is what the rule says, who it covers, what is still unclear, and what to prepare from Pakistan now.
The new rule lets families get entry visas alongside the work visa
The Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom's official news agency, published the Ministry of Interior's statement on 6 October 2026. Skilled expatriate heads of households may now bring family members, and those family members "may obtain entry visas concurrently with completion of the head of household's work visa".
The ministry said it acted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which runs the visa platform, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, which runs work permits. Residency, it said, "will be finalized after arrival in the Kingdom, in accordance with applicable regulations and guidelines".
So the family still needs a residence permit. What changes is the order. The family no longer has to wait for the worker to settle first.
Only a spouse, sons under 25 and unmarried daughters qualify
The statement names three groups. Anyone outside them is not covered by this route, as far as the published text goes.
| Family member | Covered by the 6 October rule? |
|---|---|
| Wife or husband | Yes, "spouses" |
| Son under 25 | Yes |
| Son aged 25 or over | No, not named |
| Unmarried daughter, any age | Yes, no age limit stated |
| Married daughter | No, not named |
| Parents | No, not named |
Parents and other relatives can still be invited for a visit. The Saudi visa platform, visa.mofa.gov.sa, lists a separate service to request a visit by residents' relatives. That is a visit visa, not residence. The steps are in how to apply for a Saudi visa from Pakistan.
Your Saudi skill level decides whether you qualify
The rule is for "skilled" workers. Saudi Arabia sorts every expatriate work permit into one of three skill levels. Your level is what the employer and the ministry will look at.
The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed Al-Rajhi, issued that classification in July 2025. The Saudi Press Agency reported it on 6 July 2025. Permits were split into three categories: high-skill, skilled and basic. The ministry said it applies to incoming workers from 1 July 2025 and published a guidance manual on its website.
Here is the gap. The English text of the 6 October statement says "skilled expatriate heads of households". Several other descriptions of the same announcement say "highly skilled". The statement does not say whether both the high-skill and skilled levels qualify, or only the top one. It also gives no salary floor. Figures such as SAR 4,000 or SAR 7,000 circulate online, but none appears in the official text, so treat them with care.
Our advice is plain. Ask your employer, in writing, which skill level your work permit carries before you plan the family's move.
How to prepare from Pakistan, step by step
The Saudi side has not yet published a step-by-step process for this route. These steps cover what a Pakistani family can do now without paying anyone.
- Confirm your skill level. Ask the employer which of the three levels your work permit is classified under. Without "skilled" status this route does not apply.
- Pass the skill test if your trade needs one. Many Pakistani trades must clear the Saudi skill verification first. See how to book the Takamol skill test, which NAVTTC charges at USD 85.
- Get proof of family ready. That means your NADRA marriage certificate and each child's birth record or CRC, the child registration certificate. Make sure the names match the passports letter for letter.
- Check every passport. Each family member needs a valid passport. Renew any that will expire soon.
- Ask the employer to file the family request with your work visa. The statement says the family visas run "concurrently", so the request should start while your own visa is in process.
- Complete your own emigration steps. A worker leaving Pakistan for a job still needs emigrant protection from the Bureau of Emigration.
- After arrival, finish the family's residence permits. The ministry says this happens inside Saudi Arabia, under the normal rules.
A NADRA marriage certificate is quicker to get before you leave than from abroad. If your nikah was never registered with NADRA, start with how to get a NADRA marriage certificate.
Beware of agents who sell this new rule as a family visa package
Every new Gulf visa rule brings a wave of offers. Expect agents to sell "Saudi family visa in 15 days" deals. The rule itself costs nothing to use, and it is the employer's request, tied to your own work visa.
- No family visa can be bought separately from a real job under this rule.
- An overseas employment promoter must hold a valid licence. Check it before you pay, using how to check an overseas job agency in Pakistan.
- Do not hand over original passports or nikah papers to anyone without a receipt.
If something goes wrong once your family is in the kingdom, keep the Pakistan Embassy's emergency numbers in Saudi Arabia saved on every phone.
What is still not published
We read the official statement in full. It is short, and several practical points are missing. Until the Saudi ministries publish details, these remain open:
- Whether "skilled" includes both the high-skill and skilled levels.
- Any salary or contract condition for the worker.
- The visa fee for each family member.
- Which platform the employer uses to file the family request.
- Whether workers already in Saudi Arabia benefit, or only new arrivals.
We will update this page when any of these appears on an official Saudi site.
Common questions
Can a Pakistani worker take his family to Saudi Arabia straight away now?
Yes, if he is classed as skilled. The family's entry visas can be processed at the same time as his work visa, under the Saudi Ministry of Interior rule of 6 October 2026.
Which family members are covered?
A spouse, sons under 25 and unmarried daughters. Parents, married daughters and sons aged 25 or more are not named in the statement.
Is there a minimum salary for the new family route?
None is stated in the official text. Salary figures quoted online are not part of the 6 October announcement.
Does the family still need an iqama?
Yes. The ministry says residency procedures are finalised after the family arrives in Saudi Arabia, under the normal regulations.
Do domestic or basic workers qualify?
The rule names skilled workers only. Basic is a separate, lower category in Saudi Arabia's skill classification, so basic-level permits do not appear to be covered.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. We read the Ministry of Interior's announcement as published by the Saudi Press Agency on 6 October 2026, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's skill classification as published by the Saudi Press Agency on 6 July 2025. The visit visa services are listed on the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa platform, visa.mofa.gov.sa, read in Arabic on 9 October. We could not find a fee, salary floor or application platform for the new family route on any official page.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
