Single-Status Contract

You don't need to stay 3 months to get an Iqama.  You can get that within a few weeks of arrival if your employer is efficient.   You cannot sponsor your wife without your employers help. 

When you get your Iqama, you can sponsor her for a 1 year family visit visa.  She will get 90 days of stay per entry, which can be extended up to a max of 180 days (may or may not happen as things keep changing on this front).  This is simply a longer term visit visa and she won't be a resident here i.e. no healthcare etc.

Greetings Xtang.

Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time to read and respond.

When you say "You cannot sponsor your wife without your employers help." you mean until I get my Iqama? I would not require assistance from my employers thereafter ?

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on the umrah visa?

When you say family visa "(may or may not happen as things keep changing on this front)" is this in terms of saudi policy change? also how long does she have to leave before she will be allowed back with the family visa, same for umrah visa if you have any idea.

Thanks in advance.

What I meant was, in this part of the world, the real sponsor is your employer. Now you may want to sponsor your wife for an iqama but there is no way that you can do that without the "real sponsors" approval.  Your own iqama does not afford you any power to do that.  I mean even to get a driving license you need noc from your sponsor.

Forget umrah visa. Go for family visit visa. Worst case she can leave after 90 days, exit the kingdom and come back a day later and rinse / repeat the process till the visa expires.

Hi Xtang.

Would it cost the employer to sponsor my wife?

Also what I meant was that once I get my own Iqama, I will be able to apply for a family visit visa and be the sponsor on that front, not for her to get Iqama. This is possible right?

Good to know that she has to leave only for a day or two, thank you again for your time and efforts!

Yes it will cost the employer.

You can sponsor for family visit visa but you would still need the employer to help on somethings eg chamber attestation for mofa visa print out etc.

Hey Xtang.

This is good to know, I will contact the employer and find out if they will do so and deduct from my pay. I will try a tourist visa for her to be able to come up with me while we workout the family vist visa.

Thank you once again!

@SarfaraazD

Are you already in SA? I would be great if you could share your experience with the single-status visa.

There are a lot of people out there who are in the same situation. I have kids as well and not sure how their schooling and other matters will be sorted.