Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ends Kafala system

In a landmark reform, Saudi Arabia has officially abolished the decades-old Kafala (sponsorship) system, marking a major shift in the treatment and rights of migrant workers in the Kingdom. 

The move, effective since March 2021 and part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative, is expected to benefit ‘around 13 million migrant workers,’ making it one of the most significant labour



reforms in the Gulf region.

The Kafala system—Arabic for “sponsorship”—is a legal framework that binds migrant workers to a specific employer or sponsor (kafeel) for the duration of their stay in a host country.

 It has been widely implemented in countries across the Middle East, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and also in Lebanon, Jordan, and formerly Israel.