Saudi Arabia issued around 72,440 work visas in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 49,570 visas in the second quarter of the same year, according to data issued by the General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT).
A total of 57,300, or 79.1 percent of the total visas were issued to males, and around 15,100 were issued to females.
A total of 46,400 work visas, representing 64 percent of the total permits, were issued to the private sector entities in the third quarter. The government sector’s share stood at 7.2 percent of the total visas issued. About 99 percent of the visas issued to the private sector during the third quarter of 2020 were not used while 0.9 percent were canceled.
The number of expats working in the Kingdom fell by 257,200 during the third quarter of the last year compared to the second quarter.
