How the process works from start to departure, the documents a worker needs, and how to avoid paying the wrong people.
A Pakistani worker gets a Saudi work visa through an employer in Saudi Arabia. The employer obtains the visa and authorises a licensed Pakistani agency (OEP) through a Wakala. The worker then completes the GCC medical, a skill test if the profession requires one, E-number and biometrics, visa stamping and Protector of Emigrants clearance, and then travels. There is no way to obtain a Saudi work visa without a Saudi employer.
It depends on where you join. If an agency is recruiting for the employer, the whole process from the employer's Wakala to arrival is usually around 45 days. If the employer has already selected you, the Pakistani side is usually two to four weeks.
Saudi employers recruit from Pakistan throughout the year. Whether a visa exists for you depends on a particular employer's quota and profession, not on a general "open" or "closed" status. Be careful of anyone who sells a visa without a named employer and a job.
Government fees, the medical, the skill test and the agency's service charge are the main costs. Who pays each one should be set out in writing before you start. A licensed agency may charge only the service charges allowed under the Emigration Rules.