Job Discussion Forums

[hobartwells]

It used to be that people would come on a business visa and then, just quit and get a job somewhere else.

Now, it seems that this is being curtailed in the most serious ways.

If you come on business or commercial visit visas now and then decide to go and work for someone else while on the visa of your original sponsor, you risk being "blocked".

The company can just go to the Passports Office and put a travel ban on you. You will be marked an escapee and an absconder.

The same can happen if you leave the country and come back on the old business visa to work for someone else. Bang! You are blocked.

That basically means: you cannot leave Saudi Arabia. Also, your new employer may not be able to do anything to change your status now. This especially applies to five year business visas for Americans. The original sponsor may just elect not to cancel the visa.

You may then get fired ( as you now a liability) and become both unemployed and unable to leave. Until your visa expires.

God help you then. The fines range from USD 0.8K to USD 27K. Nice!

Never go and work for someone else with a business visa from an original sponsor.

Yeah, I can hear anecdotes already. " Well, I've been back to Saudi several times on my old visa and never had any problems". Not yet. You are taking a risk basically. Don't be surprised that you may find yourself unable to leave and, to all intents and purposes, trapped.

You've been warned.

Signed. A former " escapee" recovering in Bahrain.

[voyagerksa]

The Saudi perpetrators don't care. You are just something to be used in their minds. When is the general public in the West going to realize that and simply want to have nothing to do with these people anymore?