No, Saudi Arabia has not abolished the Kafala system

Nicholas McGeehan, a human rights researcher and director of FairSquare Research, is falsely quoted as well. The organisation has since issued a clarification - Opens in new tab that they were not interviewed for the report nor aware of its claim. 

McGeehan told MRRORS that the quote attributed to him had been lifted from a comment he made on Qatar in 2017. “This misinformation campaign is a worrying portent, as it  sees the abuse of migrant workers as a comms or public relations problem which can be addressed by repeating falsehoods rather than enacting labour reforms.” 

The article quickly fuelled mass secondary reporting, particularly in Indian media. The Times of India was the first big outlet to pick up the claim, soon followed by almost all leading newspapers and online news media in the country. It has since filtered to migrant community groups across the Gulf, as well as some international organisations

This mis- or disinformation campaign is a worrying example of the growing use of AI to spread false news effectively: within days, a fabricated story with no verifiable sources was replicated by dozens of international media outlets. Whether part of a coordinated campaign or simply the result of digital amplification, the speed and scale of circulation shows how quickly misinformation can gain legitimacy in today’s media landscape.   

But, has Saudi abolished the Kafala? 
The simple answer: No.   

Saudi did launch a Labour Reform Initiative in 2020, and has since made some significant changes to its labour and immigration laws. But key provisions of the Kafala system remain intact, including:  

• Residency and work visas are still tied to the sponsor/employers.
• Migrant workers must still obtain exit permits, albeit in a different form.
• Migrant workers still need their employer’s consent to change jobs during their first year in the country, and sponsors’ control over final exit permits can further restrict their ability to change sponsors freely. Domestic workers' ability to transfer employers remains severely constrained.

In sum, sponsors continue to wield significant power over their migrant workers, and in no manner is the Kafala system abolished.  

[Read an excerpt from our previous reporting on Saudi's labour reforms below]

Saudi Arabia’s recent labour reforms represent some progress, but employers continue to hold significant power over workers, exit visas continue to limit mobility, and most migrant workers struggle to access digital platforms meant to facilitate their rights. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of workers remain excluded from the scope of the reforms. 

On paper, workers covered by labour law were granted basic rights for the first time — namely the right to transfer jobs and leave the country without their employers’ permission. These processes were also digitised, theoretically making them more efficient and more accessible. The absconding regime (referred to as “absent from work” in the law) was also reformed to enable accused workers to rectify their status and change employers, rather than face immediate detention and deportation.  [Read More]