Saudi Arabia has put off a move to restrict the stay of foreign workers to seven years and discourage them from bringing their families to the Kingdom, a report said.

The implementation of this draft decision and other draft resolutions have been postponed to conduct further studies on them in coordination with businesses and the Council of Saudi Chambers, the Arab News report quoted Ahmed Al-Humaidan, deputy minister for labor policies, as saying.

Welcoming the latest decision, Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, president of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said businessmen and chambers had unanimously opposed the proposal, saying it would destroy what the Kingdom has achieved, the report said.

“The officials made this proposal without considering the reality on the ground and the requirements of businesses,” Al-Zamil said, adding that the proposal would have had a negative impact on foreign investment.

Al-Humaidan said the ministry postponed implementation of the expat weightage point proposal in response to observations expressed by businessmen.