AussyheadingtoSaudi

Interested in the exemption letter, i have a grad diploma. Suspect i may need a letter? Who do they need to request this from within NEOM?
anychance you DM me please

Diplo

See my post above. If you actually need an exemption, that’s not done until after you arrive but make sure everyone in your recruitment chain knows that it’s required so it’s not a surprise later on.

As for the family visa, I’m afraid not. The exemption letter isn’t quite what it sounds like. They already have the authority to get workers visas without attested degrees - the exemption in this case is effectively you signing to say that you accept certain things that come with not having an attested degree. The main one being that you can’t sponsor your family for residency and therefore they wouldn’t be eligible for the resident benefits that they would otherwise get.

As was posted on the other thread, they can still come over on a tourist visa, but wouldn’t be able to work, open a bank account, drive, etc and wouldn’t be eligible for the in country benefits that a resident spouse would get.

AussyheadingtoSaudi

Thank you!!

Does anybody have an example of the 2 letters from NEOM? And who or where is this requested at NEOM, as my HR contact doesnt know about this as an option.

Would anybody have had any luck getting a Graduate Diploma Attested, considering i dont have a Bach deree, would it be possible?

Sam1980

Hey mate,
I am from Aussie too. Why do you need an exemption letter if you have a grad diploma? Whats your field?

Diplo

I think people are getting confused and it's probably because of the similarity in name - also, I think the procedures have changed over the past 6-12 months. This is my understanding of how it works currently.

There are two letters that do very different things - actually, they are forms rather than letters, both essentially involving you signing to say you agree with what the letter says.

The first one, is a degree exCEPtion letter. NEOM has a Royal Decree which allows it to sponsor employees for residency even if they don't have a degree - having a degree is usually a government requirement for residency, but the delays in getting attestation were so long, it was dragging the already lengthy hiring process out even longer. As such, NEOM employees don't need to get their degrees attested prior to getting a work visa. Of course, they still require you to have a degree in most cases, however there are some with no degrees or who have degrees that the SACB won't attest (any with an online component), but I'll come on to that. The exCEPtion letter is actually just a form that you will sign to say that you understand that by you getting a visa without an attested degree, you still agree to the requirement to provide an attested degree within 3 months of your arrival. If you fail to do so, then it's up to your sector / HR to decide what to do with you if it's not something they have already agreed to - ie if you said you have a degree, but then it turns out its fake or something.

The second letter people seem to be talking about is the degree exEMPtion later. Similarly, this is't really a letter as much as it is a form that you sign to say that you agree to the restrictions that being granted residency without an attested degree comes with - the main one being that you cannot sponsor your family for residency down the line - they can still come in on tourist visas, but will not be eligible for any of the benefits that a resident would get, they cannot work and they have to leave after a period of time. I believe (but don't quote me), that children may not be eligible for the school either. This route is vey much not the norm - you are expected to have a degree. I'm getting out of my swim lane as I'm not in recruitment, but some people have had agreements with their sectors that they are suitably qualified / experienced in other ways and so the company still wants them, only then can they be granted any exemption. The same applies if your degree is from the OU, or was done distance learning etc. The key point for an exemption is letting your recruiter, onboarder and future managers know that this will be required, ESPECIALLY if you have no degree at all - it's less of an issue for the distance learning ones.

So to summarise - there are two different 'letters' that people are talking about, but neither of them are actually letters. They are just employment forms that you as an employee have to agree to depending on your situation. You don't need either of them to get your visa as NEOM has that Royal Decree and your visa agents should be aware of this.

AussyheadingtoSaudi

Thank you Diplo.
I discussed the above in detail with my HR REP yesterday. They had sought internal advice over the past week.
The update that was provided yesterday is that the Exemption Letter was halted as of a month or so back - NEOM now no longer offer these.

Hoping anybody has any further updates or options?

drMobas

It still exists, but needs to be justified. I am getting my done as I have studied in an international campus and not accepted by the UK cultural bureau.

AussyheadingtoSaudi

Did you have any luck with your letter?

AussyheadingtoSaudi

Word from Neom new policy, no further exemptions even for online Masters degrees.

Hopefully this new policy changes in the future.
For many is an end of the road situation.. Going back to uni fulltime late in life in not an option with full time role and kids.

JCH99

I will be heading to Neom in September and my wife will leave her job to come with me. Will she be able to get a (EA/admin) job at Neom or in KSA? She doesn't have a degree.

bobdbuilder

Did you face any blocker due to this exEMPtion letter?

Were you able to bring your family along on IQAMA in absence of it?

expatalex

By way of an update on my end, I live in the UK and have a US degree. I used Royal Visa services in Washington DC to have my degree attested and apostilled and the whole process only took about a week! Very impressed by their service and was surprised on how simple the process was as opposed to some of the experiences I've read in the various NEOM forums.

Diplo

For the last question, it's a no. This isn't a NEOM policy, it's a KSA policy. To sponsor your family for residency, you must have provided a properly attested degree. Without this, (at least last time I paid any attention to the topic), you could still get entry yourself, but would not be able to bring your family over full time - only on a tourist visa (or the new EVW for UK citizens).

wilkobury

I got my family out here without an attested degree. It took a while, but it is possible. I had them on a family visit visa for first 9 months. I’m told things are easier since Saudi joined the Hague Convention late last year. I was happy to risk it as worst case I’d have just moved the family to Bahrain.

With hindsight it was a bit of a palava. I’d say better come out on your own first and then work on getting the yellow slip whilst your family are in home country and have not yet upped sticks.

fmuhammed

Do all degrees need attestations? for example Masters, bachelors, etc.
Thanks in advance