“Huroob” is the everyday word for an absent-from-work report. HRSD calls it “absence from work”. An employer files it on Qiwa when a worker stops coming to work without a legitimate reason. It is serious, because it changes your status in the ministry's systems. There is a legal way out if you act quickly.
When an employer can file it
The HRSD procedural guide says an employer may report a worker absent without a legitimate reason for more than 30 non-consecutive days in a contract year, or more than 15 consecutive days. The worker and the employer both get an SMS. The worker is removed from the establishment's records.
Your 60-day window
In the same guide, the worker gets 60 days from the report to issue a final exit, or to transfer to another employer if they entered the Kingdom more than 12 months earlier. After that the status becomes “absent from work” in the ministry's systems.
In September 2025 HRSD launched a Qiwa initiative, effective from 18 September 2025, to correct the status of professional workers already marked absent. Under it, a new employer can take them on if that employer commits to paying the late permit fees and the worker completed at least 12 consecutive months in the Kingdom. Saudi Gazette reported the ministry's announcement. Domestic workers are handled on Musaned, not Qiwa.
How to check
- Log in to Absher with your own account and look at your residence status. Don't give anyone your one-time code.
- Ask the new employer to check on Qiwa before you resign or move.
- Keep every SMS from Qiwa or HRSD about your status.
If the report is false
If you were at work, or the employer stopped paying you, file a labour complaint with HRSD and keep evidence such as attendance records, Mudad wage records and messages. Cases can go to the labour courts through Najiz. The Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah can guide you to legal help. See embassy and consulate services.
Last checked: Oct 2026. No fine amount is printed here. Penalties are applied by the authorities case by case.