Saudi labour ministry researches sponsorship system replacement

The Saudi labour ministry has completed a study on prospects of cancelling the current individual sponsorship system to replace it with recruitment companies, Arab News has reported, citing an unnamed source. The study, which took five years to complete, will be presented to the Council of Ministers shortly for approval, the source said. The study advised the government not to hold passports of foreign workers and cancel the condition of obtaining sponsor's approval for a worker to bring his family to the kingdom. According to the new system, an employer would not be responsible for the wrong actions of a foreign worker outside his work. "The new system is designed to protect the rights of both foreign workers and employers," the source said.