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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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 Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Amerrycan Muslim wrote: |
It's in my wallet and don't see a need to take it out... |
Wallets, like purses, have been known to be snatched during travels in various countries - including our own - and I'd hate to have to go through all the BS again to get it replaced.
That is why I left mine in my flat. My questions was really whether it was required to show it at the airport to depart or return.
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Savvy1
Joined: 23 Apr 2014
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 10:09 am Post subject: |
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Some employers may ask you for a deposit of several thousand Ryals as security before giving you your passport (in case you don't come back). In our case they do that, and they have recently imposed a weekend-away restriction to one weekend per month to be on the third weekend of the month only, and of course, subject to approval.
Is this legal? I have a multi entry visa. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 11:29 am Post subject: |
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| Savvy1 wrote: |
Some employers may ask you for a deposit of several thousand Ryals as security before giving you your passport (in case you don't come back). In our case they do that, and they have recently imposed a weekend-away restriction to one weekend per month to be on the third weekend of the month only, and of course, subject to approval.
Is this legal? I have a multi entry visa. |
It's illegal and is extortion. (See "Do employers/sponsors still withhold passports?" http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=108129 .) This is an example of how sketchy some contracting companies are. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| My questions was really whether it was required to show it at the airport to depart or return. |
No, airport immigrations don't ask to see the iqama. The iqama number is indicated on the exit/reentry visa, which is the document airline and government airport personnel request to see. Besides, all that info is in the government's computer system. |
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SheikMilkShake
Joined: 02 Jul 2014
Posts: 84
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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iqama number or your finger print will revel all your info and activities inside Saudi Arabia.
These include
iqama info, previous/expired/cancelled/unused/used and current visa exit, re-entry, arrival date, departure date, to travel info ( departure and arrival dates and to/from destination) medical info ( which hospital you use, what your blood test results), phone numbers ( you are allowed to buy 10 SIM cards under your name/iqama/passport) and to/from calls/SMS you make, you FB and internet browsing, your handles, your shopping info ( if you use Saudi or home bank card/credit card to pay), when you are arrested by religious police, which hotel you checked-in and dates, they could see the CCtv of that hotel to see your activities, what were you doing in Jeddah, Makkah, Dammam beach, ok, you name it. they will keep all your information by themselves, until and unless you make a complaint, protest, trouble for them, etc. then they/ your employer will dig your info to use it against you.. not that they are against all haram, just for their safety.
so, why do you think all people live in fear? Like the saying " he who never sinned cast the first stone", are you all innocent according to Saudi standard? What legal and allowed may not be legal and it may be a crime in Saudi Arabia.
http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/saudi-today/2014/07/25/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1.html |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| SheikMilkShake wrote: |
hey sicklyman,
are you saying that you keep your passport and iqama with you in your possession but when you leave, your iqama is deposited in exchange for entry/exit visa? |
My employer refuses to hand over my passport unless I hand over my iqama. So, I keep my passport and they hang on to my iqama. I give my passport to them for the few days that it takes to process the entry/exit visa twice a year and carry my iqama for those few days. When I leave, I don't do anything, because I don't have my iqama.
Having been here nearly a year and a half, I haven't needed to show my iqama for over a year. THe last time I showed the paper copy was to get a new Internet subscription. They didn't bat an eyelid and accepted it as if it was the original. |
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onemoreteacher
Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:30 am Post subject: |
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This is illegal under international law, but still practiced by many large reputable companies and even government employers. As you know, this is only one of many examples where "illegal" or "required by labor law" do not seem to mean the same in Saudi as elsewhere.
| nomad soul wrote: |
| No, airport immigrations don't ask to see the iqama. The iqama number is indicated on the exit/reentry visa, which is the document airline and government airport personnel request to see. Besides, all that info is in the government's computer system. |
Now the exit/re-entry is no longer a document - just an electronic record. You can print a copy for yourself from Abshir (which won't have a stamp), or your employer can print one of the old style paper visas (if they're willing to - many won't), but Saudi immigration doesn't need or want to see either on the way out or back in. Which would be great if airlines and other countries didn't need some way to ascertain that you are entitled to return to Saudi Arabia. The iqama is (or would be) useful for this.
Also, as I recall, Oman offers a longer visa on arrival to holders of GCC residency, and for non-Western nationals they need to prove GCC residency for visa on arrival anywhere other than their country of residence.
And I was surprised, but a Saudi passport officer did ask to see our iqamas on the Causeway recently. I gather it had something to do with the fact that my son had a new passport in which the transfer of information had been done electronically with only a handwritten copy of his iqama number in the new passport with no stamp (?!?), no one stamped our passports or exit/reentry copies on the way out, or on the way into Bahrain. The only stamp in my son's passport was the exit from Bahrain. I handed him the family's iqamas and a stamped copy of mine (which had been exchanged for the passport) and he checked something and let us in, without stamping anything. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:55 am Post subject: |
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| "Illegal under international law" Which law, and what is your legal remedy ? |
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