Points-based routes
Skilled Migration and Permanent Residency from Saudi Arabia
Skilled migration routes let qualified professionals apply on their own merit, without an employer sponsoring them. They are assessed against a points system or a selection framework, and they are competitive: meeting the minimum does not mean you will be selected.
The honest starting point is an assessment of where you actually score, and what would move you higher.
Who this service is for
- Professionals in Saudi Arabia with a degree and several years of relevant experience
- Couples deciding which partner should be the main applicant
- Applicants who have been in a pool or profile without receiving an invitation
- Anyone who has been told they qualify but has never seen the arithmetic
How these routes generally work
Most skilled routes follow a similar shape:
- Confirm your occupation is on the relevant list and matches your actual duties.
- Have your qualifications assessed by the body the destination recognises.
- Sit an approved language test and achieve the score your points target requires.
- Submit a profile or expression of interest and receive a score.
- Wait to be invited to apply, if your score is competitive.
- Submit the full application with complete evidence.
Steps 2 and 3 usually take the longest and are the ones applicants start too late.
What Peregrine helps with
- Points and eligibility review: a realistic calculation of where you stand today
- Occupation matching: checking that your duties, not just your job title, fit the code
- Credential assessment guidance: which body, what documents, what sequence
- Language test strategy: which test, what score is worth targeting, and when to sit it
- Profile preparation and review
- Document, attestation and translation planning
- Full application preparation after an invitation
- Referral to a regulated professional where the destination requires one
What you need to provide
- Passport and Saudi residence permit (Iqama)
- Degree certificates and transcripts
- Detailed experience letters for every claimed period, with dates, titles and duties
- Language test results
- Evidence of any professional registration or licensing
- Marriage and birth certificates where family members are included
- Police clearance certificates and medical results at the appropriate stage
Common mistakes
- Claiming experience that the reference letters do not actually support
- Choosing an occupation code that fits the job title but not the duties
- Sitting the language test once, scoring below target, and giving up. A small improvement often adds significant points
- Naming the lower-scoring partner as the main applicant
- Letting a credential assessment or language test expire before an invitation arrives
- Relying on a points calculator from an unofficial website
Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Next review due 13 January 2027. Immigration and business rules change between reviews, so confirm the current position with the relevant authority before you act on it.
Questions
Frequently asked
How many points do I need?
The published minimum and the score actually being invited are two different numbers, and the second changes regularly. We will show you both against the current published data.
How long does the whole process take?
Realistically, credential assessment and language testing take months before you even enter a pool, and there is then no guaranteed invitation timeline. Anyone quoting you a fixed total is guessing.
I am over 40. Is it still worth applying?
Age is a scoring factor in most systems, so your score will be lower than a younger applicant's. Whether it is still competitive depends on your other factors. That is exactly what an assessment is for.
Can my spouse's qualifications help?
In several systems, yes: partner skills, language and qualifications can add points.
Do I need a job offer?
Not for most points-based skilled routes, although a valid offer or a regional nomination can add points in some systems.