Recruitment cost is rarely one number. This is how the cost of a Gulf deployment from Pakistan actually breaks down, which side pays for what, and the charges employers most often forget to budget for.
“What does it cost to bring in workers from Pakistan?” is the question we are asked most often, and it is the hardest one to answer in a single number β because the honest answer depends on the destination country, the sector, the skill level and who is paying for what.
What we can do is show you how the cost is structured, so you can compare quotations properly and spot the ones that are hiding something.
Across the Gulf states, labour regulations place the cost of the work permit, the entry visa and the required medical examination on the employer rather than the worker. This is now the standard position in the region's labour frameworks, and it is also what international recruitment standards expect.
If an agency proposes recovering permit or visa costs from the worker's salary, treat it as a warning sign. Beyond the ethical problem, it exposes your business to compliance risk in your own jurisdiction.
It helps to think of a deployment as four separate blocks rather than one lump sum. They are incurred at different times, by different parties, in different countries.
These are set by your government, not by us, and they are usually the largest block. A Pakistani agency's quotation will not include them, which is exactly why employers who budget only from the agency quote get an unpleasant surprise later.
This is the agency's own fee for sourcing, screening, interviewing, documenting and coordinating the deployment. It should be stated as a clear per-worker figure agreed in writing before work begins β not a percentage of something unspecified, and not a number that moves after selection.
One-way airfare from Pakistan to the destination. We quote this as its own line because fares vary by season, route and how far ahead the booking is made. Any quotation that folds airfare into a single total without showing it is worth questioning.
Each Gulf market has its own permit framework, and each adds its own steps to a deployment. Understanding which system applies to you is the starting point for any accurate budget.
If you are weighing up several agencies, put the quotes side by side and check these five things before you look at the totals.
We issue a written, itemised quotation before any order is confirmed, showing each cost line separately, stating clearly what is excluded, and attaching a timeline estimate. Rates are quoted from Lahore, and if anything changes we tell you before it is incurred rather than afterwards.
Sheikhu International is a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter under BEOE licence 3893 LHR, verifiable on the official registry. You deal with the party that actually does the recruiting β which means one margin, not several.
Under the regulations in force across most Gulf states, the costs of the work permit, entry visa and medical examination fall to the employer. This reflects the employer-pays principle now written into the labour frameworks of the region. Any agency proposing to recover these costs from the worker should be treated with caution.
Usually because they include different things. One may quote only a service fee while another includes airfare, insurance and documentation. Always ask for an itemised breakdown rather than a single figure, and check what is excluded.
It depends on the agreement. We quote airfare as a separate, clearly identified line because fares move with the season and the route, and we would rather show you the real number than bury an estimate inside a total.
Destination-side charges. Work permit and levy fees, local medical screening on arrival, local insurance and accommodation are all incurred in your country, not in Pakistan, so they do not appear on a Pakistani agency's quotation at all.
Yes. Each country runs its own permit system with its own fee structure and its own required steps, so the destination materially changes the total. Sector and skill level also affect it, since trade-tested roles carry additional steps.
Tell us the country, job titles and headcount. We will send an itemised quotation with a timeline before you commit to anything.