Sponsorship (Kafala)

Sponsorship, historically called kafala, is the Gulf system tying a foreign worker's visa and residency to a specific employer who acts as sponsor. Reforms across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE have loosened the tie, allowing job changes without sponsor consent in defined cases, but the sponsor relationship still shapes hiring, which is why CVs state it.

For a job seeker the practical meaning is simple: your ability to accept an offer depends on your current sponsorship state, and recruiters need to see it without asking. The vocabulary that appears in CV headers across the Gulf: transferable sponsorship, family/dependent sponsorship (no employer needed for the visa, often the fastest hire), employment visa, or visit visa. Each country''s transfer mechanics differ: Qiwa in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Labour system in Qatar, MOHRE in the UAE. State what is true in one line and let the recruiter move on. See the country guides for exact phrasing: Saudi, UAE, Qatar.

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