Unpaid for months and coerced: migrant workers still exploited in Saudi Arabia, report finds

详细摘要

Exclusive: Human rights organisation ALQST says employers in the Kingdom continue to exploit loopholes in regulations with impunity

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Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face widespread exploitation and barriers when accessing justice more than a year after the Kingdom overhauled controversial labour laws, a new report has found.

The report, compiled by UK-based rights organisation ALQST and shared exclusively with The Independent, concludes that little has changed for the over 14 million migrant workers based in the country, despite promises to end a pattern of ongoing exploitation.

Two-thirds of migrant workers surveyed by ALQST between March and May 2026 said they had not received their wages for months at a time, while a quarter said they had been falsely reported as absent from work - putting them at risk of deportation. Only 22 per cent reported not facing any violations of their rights.

The Kafala system meant that foreign workers were dependent on their sponsors for their right to remain and leave the country, making them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

In March 2025 authorities announced that this would be abolished and labour reforms based on a “contractual relationship improvement initiative” were introduced.

But the report says that loopholes exist that are still being exploited by employers.

Under the reforms, if a worker wants to leave during the period of their contract for a holiday or for any other purpose, they must apply through a government website available only in Arabic and English and pay a non-refundable processing fee of SAR 200 or $53.

The sponsor can object to the request on the grounds that they do not believe the worker will return and complete their contract, which then prevents the employee from leaving.

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