Introduction

For university graduates who have secured job offers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and are preparing to embark on their professional journey from Pakistan, the process can be both exciting and complex.

This article will guide you through the steps and considerations to ensure a seamless transition into your new career in KSA while managing the necessary administrative and logistical tasks from Pakistan. It's a crucial resource to help you navigate the specific work process that bridges two nations, making your transition as smooth as possible.

Step 1: Choosing an Agent in Your Home Country

Selecting the right agent is a critical and pivotal initial step. It is highly advisable to make a thoughtful choice. If your employer has an existing contract with an agency in your home country, it is an ideal situation.

However, in cases where you are responsible for selecting an agent to facilitate your visa application, exercising caution is essential.

Once you have made your agent selection, you must promptly share the agent's information with your employer in KSA.

Step 2: Required Documents From Employer (in KSA)

The KSA employer must provide specific documents, which must undergo attestation by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Chamber of Commerce (CoC) in KSA.

These documents should remain in their original form. Once these documents are prepared, kindly request your employer to send them via email to you. Subsequently, forward the documents to your representative/agent in Pakistan for verification.

Upon confirmation by your agent, request your employer to dispatch all the documents through a courier service to your residential address in Pakistan. This shipment is expected to take approximately 4-5 working days for delivery.

Step 3: Degrees Verification

This is the most time-consuming step in the visa process.

a) Documents from University

Collect the following documents from your university.

b) HEC Degree Verification

You should have your degree authenticated by the relevant higher education authority in your country, which, in Pakistan, is the HEC. The name of this authority may vary in different countries.

HEC Portal : https://eservices.hec.gov.pk

Fee: 18 USD

Estimated Duration : 3 weeks

Suggestion: It's advisable to start the HEC Degree verification process early, preferably during your interview phase with the employer. Opt for the urgent service, although even urgent requests may take a few weeks. If you are applying from Pakistan, access the above-mentioned portal.

c) MOFA Attestation

After your university degree and transcript have been verified by HEC, the next step is to bring these documents to MOFA for attestation.

Estimated Duration: 1 day

d) Saudi Culture & Embassy Attestation

After your degree has been authenticated by both HEC and MOFA, you will need to engage a duly verified agent in your home country to assist you with the attestation process from the Saudi Cultural Mission and the Embassy.

At this stage, it's crucial to ensure that all the required documents from your employer, as outlined in Step 2, are in their original form.

All required documents are mentioned here in detail: Required Documents

If you are a Pakistani applicant, I would strongly suggest considering GFQ International, Islamabad for your degree attestation needs.

Estimated Duration: 3 weeks

Fee: 50 USD

Step 4: Medical Test

After your degree has been properly authenticated, kindly request your agent to schedule a medical examination appointment in a city nearest to you where Gulf Health Council-affiliated hospitals are accessible.

You may locate the GAMCA center by visiting this link.

Please note that you can only select the city, as the system will automatically align you with the appropriate medical center in that chosen city.

Estimated Duration: Test reports will be provided within 3 business days.

Registration Fee: 10 USD

Medical Fee: 65 USD

Step 5: Family Registration Certification (FRC)

You should obtain the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) from your father's side, and there are no prerequisites for this process. You can obtain it at any time before proceeding to Step 6.

Estimated Duration: Immediately from NADRA

Registration Fee: 4 USD

Link: https://www.nadra.gov.pk/identity/identity-frc/

Step 6: Fingerprint verification

Once your medical reports are received. Inform your agent to book an appointment for Fingerprint verification in your nearest Eitmad Center (Find on Google/maps).

Your agent will provide you with an appointment slip. To proceed, make sure to bring your original passport and the appointment token to the nearest Eitmad Center.

Note: Following the fingerprinting process at the Eitmad center, you will be provided with two receipts. It is important to keep them carefully.

Fee: 7 USD

Estimated Duration: Immediately

Step 7: Documents Submission to Agent

The following are list of final documents that you need to send to an agent for processing of work visa application.

Visa Stamp Duration : 3-5 Working days

Step 8: Visa Protector

a) Visa Endorsement

Once your visa endorsement is complete, your agent will get in touch with you, and the following documents will be required for the visa protector:

b) Emigrant Office Appointment

Once you provide these documents. Your agent will then provide you with an appointment token for the biometric verification. You can visit your any nearest "Protectorate of Emigrant Offices" for biometric.

c) Biometric

After completing the biometric process, be sure to send the photo to the agent through WhatsApp or email. Now wait for the agent to get your visa protector.

Estimated Duration: 1 week

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I have endeavored to present a generalized framework applicable to various countries. Furthermore, the procedures for other Asian nations are expected to be analogous, though there may be variations in specific steps and durations.

Should you require guidance during this process or wish to propose any necessary modifications to this guide, please feel free to contact me via email at: raowaqasakram@gmail.com

References:

• https://www.gamcapakistan.com/medical-centres/

• https://beoe.gov.pk/protectorate-of-emigrant-offices

• https://eservices.hec.gov.pk

• https://gfqinternational.com/degree-attestation-procedure/

• https://www.nadra.gov.pk/identity/identity-frc/