Job Discussion Forums

[Suleman]

To all English teachers, please avoid working for the aforementioned company. I left their employment 30 June and I'm still waiting for my exit visa!! Furthermore, my Iqama and medical insurance expired in march and April respectively and were not renewed. Now they want me to pay for the fine and renewal. This is just one of a catalogue of instances from this unscrupulous company!!!!

[DMPT]

Sorry not knowing anything about KSA, but you need an exit visa? And without it you cannot leave the country??

[Suleman]

Thank you DMPT. You are quite right I do need an exit visa . However, without a valid Iqama, one cannot get the exit visa. I was merely warning teachers not to consider working for this company

[DMPT]

Sorry, I was only asking a question, as I don't know much (if anything) about KSA visas and legalities.

To leave KSA you need an exit visa? And without this you cannot leave? (serious question)

[Suleman]

No need for apologies DMPT, I misunderstood. Anyhow, unfortunately one cannot leave KSA legally without a Final Exit visa. So one ends up being a 'prisioner' so to spesk. No problem if you work for a reputable company. However, working for unscrupulous companies such as ADI/EF, will cost you financially and mentally drain you.

[DMPT]

That sounds like a right pain in the arse.

Is that on every visa for the KSA or just Iqama ones?

[Suleman]

The final exit visa applies to all expats wishing to leave KSA. Furthermore, you must have a valid iqama before any visa can be processed.

[wantok]

Misinformation alert!

1. Final exit is not a visa. It is permission to exit granted to those who already have an employment visa.

2. Final exit permission is not required for those who possess a hajj (pilgrimage) visa, a diplomatic visa, a business visit visa, or a tourist visa.

3. You don't need an Iqama for your visa application, which is processed by a KSA embassy. You must have a valid employment visa before an Iqama can be processed.

4. An Iqama, DMPT et. al, is not a visa and thus does not appear within a passport. It is a residency permit granted upon successful application to which your employment visa is attached. It's a plastic card quite physically independent of the visa stuck in a passport. An Iqama is procured after arrival and legally must be in your hand 90 days or less after your arrival. The employment visa allows entry through Arrivals; the Iqama depends on prior acquisition of an employment visa. First the employment visa processed by an embassy, then the Iqama is processed after arrival.

This topic has been beaten to death in these threads.

[DMPT]

Thanks.

A business visa sounds far easier and less restricting than an employment visa.

[rdobbs98]

You cannot legally work on a business visa and would be considered illegal. Why people think this works is beyond me. Without an Iqama you cannot have a bank account, rent an apartment, rent a car, etc. When people capitulate to working in KSA under these conditions and then come back later to complain, you were forewarned!

[gelynch52ph]