Job Discussion Forums

[MixtecaMike]

Not wishing to bite the hand that fed me, but a certain large multi-institutional government employer in the Eastern Province still holds passports, and when challenged on this said, "Oh, err, the Saudi laws don't apply to us because, errr, we are the Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx for Xxxxxx."

That being said, I never had a problem getting my passport, once their nasty habit of having a guarantor sign for you was dropped. What was a bit of a hassle was when I did Final Exit they kept my passport AND iqama AND ID card and gave me a dodgy looking sheet of paper with my photo stapled to it called a temporary iqama. After I week I was able to pick up the passport + iqama, with my final exit visa, so then was able to finish off tasks that require an ID.

[scot47]

"multi-institutional government employer"!

Teacher, what this ?

[nomad soul]

[scot47]

Aha ! The KSA equivalent of a Quango !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quango

[nomad soul]

Employers told not to seize expats’ passports
Saudi Gazette report | 28 July 2015
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150728251611

JEDDAH – The Ministry of Labor has warned private sector companies and establishments against withholding passports of their expatriate employees in violation of a Council of Ministers' decision issued in this connection more than a year ago. The ministry said employers who fail to implement the directives would face severe penalties, according to Akhbaar24 website.

A source in the ministry quoted by the Makkah daily said the number of companies and commercial establishments with a workforce of more than 60 percent expatriates had dropped to 900,000. The source said only a small number of these companies allow their workers to keep their passports. The source attributed the employers' insistence on keeping their workers’ passports to their belief that it was a means of controlling the workers and preventing them from absconding.

However, many of the registered runaway cases involved workers who were not keeping their passports, the source said, adding that the authorities are responsible for controlling the workers and preventing them from escaping. He said good treatment, showing respect and payment of entitlements on a timely basis would prevent the workers from escaping.

Tayseer Al-Mufarrij, spokesman for the Ministry of Labor, has stressed that it is illegal for employers to keep their workers’ passports. He said the relationship between the expatriate worker and employer was merely a contractual one and the employers were not allowed to hold them up by seizing their passports. He confirmed that orders have been issued by the Council of Ministers more than a year ago.

(End of article)

[scot47]

One of those things that you have to get used to ? Passport is no use without an exit visa. Better employers will let you keep your passport AND give you a multiple exit.

They will expect you to pay for this and may even expect you to pay for your Iqama.

[PattyFlipper]

"Prevent the workers from escaping."

Interesting choice of words. Apposite, though.

[scot47]

Newspapers in KSA regularly have ads from employers notifying the public that a named employee has "absconded" or "escaped".

[nomad soul]

(Bump)

[scot47]

Some employers do and some do not. As has been pointed out a passport in your hand is not enough. You need a passport AND an exit visa. That has to be requested through your employer.

Newbies and those outside KSA often have difficulty in grasping this idea.

[sicklyman]

[nomad soul]

[nomad soul]

SR2,000 fine for keeping workers’ passports: Ministry
By Fatima Muhammad, Saudi Gazette | 22 October 2015
Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/sr2000-fine-for-keeping-workers-passports-ministry/

(Excerpt)

JEDDAH — An employer who keeps the passports of his employees will be fined SR2,000 and the one who does not provide a copy of the contract to workers will be fined SR5,000, according to the new regulations of the Ministry of Labor.

A fine of up to SR15,000 will be imposed on an employer who forces his workers to do jobs not specified in the contract or if he asks workers to bear those expenses which he is liable to pay. Fines will also be imposed on companies if they delay the payment of salaries, force employees to work extra hours without overtime payment, or force them to work during official weekends and holidays.

Fines will be imposed on employers who deprive workers [from] getting recommendation letters or if a company does not provide training to at least 12% of its Saudi employees, according to the regulations.

Companies can appeal within 60 days after the violation has been registered.

(End of excerpt)