Saudi employers, whose foreign workers wish to transfer their sponsorship, will be given five days from the date of application to file their objections, according to new rules introduced by the Ministry of Labour, a report said.

The new rules are aimed at protecting the interests of both sponsors and workers during their employment contract, Labour Ministry spokesman Tayseer Al-Mufarrej was quoted as saying in the Arab News report.

"This was introduced, not only to accelerate the transfer, but also to remove any obstacles faced by foreign workers in the transfer process to a new sponsor at the Interior Ministry," he said.

Expatriate workers will have the right to seek new employers if their sponsors fail to provide them with work and residency permits within three months of their arrival in the Kingdom, if sponsors are having an insufficient Saudi-to-expat ratio, the report said.

Stranded workers can seek a job with employers whose job opportunities match their profession, as per the new rules.

Workers will also be allowed to contact private recruitment companies in the Kingdom for temporary work, Al-Mufarrej was quoted in the report.

The Interior Ministry also explained that it will reject applications for sponsorship transfer from runaway workers and employees who had committed traffic violations.

Stranded workers may also register on the Labour Ministry website in order to find jobs in other private sector companies, the report added.