If you employ anyone in Saudi Arabia, this week carries a hard deadline. The Saudi Qiwa work permit system now automatically strips workers from your establishment record once their permit has been expired for more than three months. The clock started on July 1. Meanwhile, the Netherlands lifted its minimum wage again. India’s wage code is still crawling through state adoption. And UK employers just passed a quiet dismissal-rights milestone. Here is what changed across four countries. And here is what your team must do before the next payroll run.

Saudi Qiwa Work Permit Removals Begin July 1

Saudi Arabia’s Qiwa platform has started removing resident employees from an employer’s records. The trigger is a work permit expired for more than three months. The change took effect on July 1, 2026. The final day to renew permits or transfer worker services was June 30.

What changed on the Qiwa platform

The removal is automatic. There is no manual review and no grace notice once the three-month mark passes. However, there is one exception. A worker will not be removed if their residency permit (Iqama) stays valid for at least 180 days. That holds even when the work permit itself has lapsed on a different date. KPMG confirmed the mechanics in its Global Mobility flash alert.

Here is the part that stings. Your establishment stays financially liable for that worker up to the removal date. Wages, end-of-service dues, and related obligations do not disappear because the system deletes the record. So the Saudi Qiwa work permit purge does not clear your liabilities. It just ends your ability to sponsor that person legally.

Your Saudi Qiwa work permit checklist this week

First, pull a Qiwa report of every foreign worker. Then check permit expiry dates against the three-month window. Second, renew or transfer anyone at risk before the record drops. Because the removal is silent, you may not notice until a payroll or GOSI mismatch appears. If you hire through an EOR, confirm the sponsor has already run this check for your Saudi headcount. Our Saudi Arabia hiring guide walks through permit and Iqama sponsorship step by step.

There is a second Saudi deadline in the same window. On June 30, the Saudization rate for engineering roles rose from 25% to 30%. Specifically, it applies to firms with five or more staff in covered professions. The minimum qualifying salary for a Saudi engineer also moved from SAR 7,000 to SAR 8,000 per month, per the Saudi Press Agency. An engineer paid below that floor no longer counts toward your quota. And the contract must be authenticated on Qiwa, not just registered with GOSI. If your Saudi entity leans on engineering headcount, recheck both the ratio and the pay level now.

Netherlands Raises the Minimum Wage Again on July 1

The Dutch statutory minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over rose to €14.99 per hour on July 1, 2026. That is up from €14.71, according to Business.gov.nl. Meanwhile, youth minimum rates moved up in step. The Netherlands indexes its minimum wage twice a year. So this is the second bump of 2026.

The increase is small per hour. Still, it compounds across holiday allowance, pension accrual, and employer social charges. So budget for more than the headline 28-cent gap. If you run Dutch payroll directly, update your rate tables before the July cycle closes. Our Netherlands payroll guide covers how the indexation flows through to total employer cost.

India’s Wage Code Rollout Stalls in the Big States

India notified the final Code on Wages (Central) Rules on May 8, 2026. But state-level adoption is still uneven. As of July 9, eleven states have final rules in place. Major industrial states remain in draft, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal, per KPMG’s India alert.

Why this matters: the wage code forces basic pay plus dearness allowance to at least 50% of total pay. For example, many teams set basic at 30-40% of CTC to trim statutory costs. Once a state switches on, restructuring will lift provident fund and gratuity contributions. Because the trigger is state-by-state, your India obligations may change on different dates depending on where staff sit. So map your headcount by state and model the 50% shift before it lands. Our India salary structure guide shows how the new wage definition reshapes take-home and employer cost.

UK Employers Face a Quiet Unfair Dismissal Deadline

The UK is cutting the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months. It takes effect January 1, 2027. Here is the catch employers keep missing. Anyone hired from July 1, 2026 will have six months of service by that January date. So they enter the new regime immediately, per McGuireWoods and the government timeline.

In practice, your July 2026 hires are already the first cohort with early protection. As a result, sloppy probation management now carries real risk. The statutory cap on unfair dismissal compensation is also set to fall away at the same time. So tighten probation reviews, document performance clearly, and decide on evidence, not vibes.

Quick Hits

• United States, July 1: Chicago’s minimum wage rose to $17.05 for employers with four or more staff. Cook County moved to $15.40. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. also saw July increases (Ogletree Deakins).
• New York City, July 23: The Earned Safe and Sick Time Act expands to cover caregiving, legal, and disaster-related leave. Employers must provide at least 32 hours up front each year (Ogletree Deakins).
• Germany, ongoing 2026: The statutory minimum wage sits at €13.90 per hour. The mini-job earnings ceiling rose to €603 per month (EURES).

Action Items This Week

If you employ staff in Saudi Arabia: Run a Qiwa report today. Renew or transfer any worker whose permit is near or past the three-month line. Confirm engineering headcount meets the 30% Saudization rate and the SAR 8,000 salary floor. Remember, the Saudi Qiwa work permit removal ends sponsorship, not your outstanding dues.

If you run payroll in the Netherlands: Update minimum wage tables to €14.99 per hour before the July cycle closes. In addition, recheck youth rates.

If you hire in India: Confirm which of your states have switched on the wage code. Then model the 50% basic-pay rule for provident fund and gratuity impact.

If you employ in the UK: Treat every hire from July 1, 2026 as protected early. Tighten probation documentation before January 2027.

Juggling four countries’ deadlines in one week is the daily reality of a distributed team. Asanify’s Global HRMS and EOR handle multi-country payroll, permit tracking, and statutory compliance in one place. So a Qiwa deadline or a wage-code switch does not slip through. Worth a look if compliance calendars keep catching you off guard.

FAQ: Global Hiring Compliance

What is the Saudi Qiwa work permit removal rule?
From July 1, 2026, Saudi Arabia’s Qiwa platform automatically removes a foreign worker from the employer’s records. The trigger is a work permit expired for more than three months. The employer stays liable for wages and end-of-service dues up to the removal date. Workers with a residency permit valid for at least 180 days are exempt.

Do we still owe money after a worker is removed from Qiwa?
Yes. Removal ends your legal ability to sponsor the worker. But it does not cancel financial obligations already incurred. Your establishment remains responsible for outstanding wages and related dues up to the official removal date.

When does the UK unfair dismissal qualifying period drop to six months?
The reduction from two years to six months takes effect on January 1, 2027. Employees hired from July 1, 2026 reach six months of service by that date. So they gain unfair dismissal protection right away.

How often do global payroll and employment rules change?
Minimum wage and tax rates usually change once or twice a year, often in January and July. Employment law reforms are less predictable and can arrive with short notice. A per-country compliance calendar, checked monthly, is the safest way to stay ahead.

Not to be considered as tax, legal, financial or HR advice. Regulations change over time so please consult a lawyer, accountant  or Labour Law  expert for specific guidance.