The Ruling on Buying and Selling a Work Permit
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His Eminence the Shaykh: Some people obtain a (visa) that costs them approximately three thousand riyals, then they sell it for eight or ten thousand riyals to another person so that he can bring his brother. What is the ruling on this?The Shaykh: First: Tell your brothers what a (visa) means?The questioner: A work permit.
The Shaykh: We have not yet reached an understanding of it.
The questioner: The right of residence or the right to bring in workers.
The Shaykh: Do you mean the permit to recruit a worker?The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: This is the (visa), the permit. That is, he takes a permit from the ministry to recruit a worker, then he sells this permit to someone who is recruiting a worker. This is haram and not permissible.Because we say: If you need this worker, the visa is in your hand. If you do not need it, return the visa to the one from whom you took it. It is not lawful for you to sell it. If we were to do this, everyone would buy (visas) and profit from them. Furthermore, this is lying; if he takes a visa on the condition that he will recruit a worker and then sells it, he has become a liar.
But tell me: If he no longer needs the worker; for example, a man took a (visa) intending to recruit a worker in truth, but then he no longer needed him. Does he sell it?
No, he must return it. Because it was granted to him on the condition that he himself would recruit a worker. Then, since he no longer needs it, he should return it, because there may be people waiting for (the visa).
The Shaykh: We have not yet reached an understanding of it.
The questioner: The right of residence or the right to bring in workers.
The Shaykh: Do you mean the permit to recruit a worker?The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: This is the (visa), the permit. That is, he takes a permit from the ministry to recruit a worker, then he sells this permit to someone who is recruiting a worker. This is haram and not permissible.Because we say: If you need this worker, the visa is in your hand. If you do not need it, return the visa to the one from whom you took it. It is not lawful for you to sell it. If we were to do this, everyone would buy (visas) and profit from them. Furthermore, this is lying; if he takes a visa on the condition that he will recruit a worker and then sells it, he has become a liar.
But tell me: If he no longer needs the worker; for example, a man took a (visa) intending to recruit a worker in truth, but then he no longer needed him. Does he sell it?
No, he must return it. Because it was granted to him on the condition that he himself would recruit a worker. Then, since he no longer needs it, he should return it, because there may be people waiting for (the visa).