Block visa, wakala, attestation, stamping, iqama — what each step is for and where delays usually come from.
The terminology around Gulf recruitment puts people off before they start. Underneath it, the process is a short sequence, and knowing which step you are on tells you what is holding things up.
Block visa
The employer applies to the Ministry of Human Resources for approval to bring in a set number of workers in specific occupations. This is a quota, not a person. Nothing candidate-related can begin until it is issued.
Authorisation to the agency
The employer issues a power of attorney and a demand letter to the recruitment agency in the sending country, along with the job offer terms. Errors here are the most common cause of a file bouncing back later, because occupation titles must match across every subsequent document.
Medical, clearance, and attestation
Each selected candidate completes an approved medical examination and police clearance, and the documents are attested. Medical results have a validity window, which is why sequencing matters: an examination done too early expires and has to be repeated at the employer's cost.
Stamping and travel
The visa is stamped in the passport, flights are booked, and the worker travels. From confirmed selection to arrival, six to ten weeks is realistic when nothing is missing.
Iqama and the first ninety days
The residence permit is processed after arrival, along with insurance and the labour contract registration. This is the employer's obligation, and it has deadlines — a worker without an iqama inside the window is a compliance exposure, not a paperwork backlog.
None of this is difficult, but all of it is sequential. The single most useful thing an employer can do is confirm selections quickly, because every day of hesitation moves the arrival date by more than a day.
