In Saudi Arabia, the Host Umrah scheme has been canceled, which was supposed to allow Saudi citizens and expatriates to bring and host five foreign pilgrims.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Host Umrah project has been canceled. According to Saudi Gazette, the ministry started implementing this project three years ago.

Citizens can host any Muslim outside Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage under the Host Umrah scheme, while expatriates can host their first-degree relatives. For citizens, visas will be issued based on their civil registry, while for expatriates, they will be issued based on their iqama.

As part of the Host Umrah scheme, expatriates and citizens were required to take care of and support those who were hosted in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah until their departure. The hosting process could be repeated three times a year.

It was earlier announced that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had canceled the Umrah host visa, and that any further developments would be announced via its official channels.

SOURCE : SAUDI EXPATRIATES