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Doing a runner on a business visa
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hash



Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wicked_Witch wrote:
I`'ve just jumped from a vocational college to an academy on a business visa. College HR caught up with me and said they`'ve canceled my visa and I am now working and living in the kingdom illegally. Can they do this? Is there any way to verify?
I'm left wondering how complete the info you are providing us here is.

I find it difficult, for instance, to believe that your "new employer" apparently accepted you just like that. What did you do? Did you walk in off the street and show them your visa and say "Hey, I wanna work for you using this visa"? And did they then respond and say: "Fine, no problem.... you start work tomorrow at 8 am"? Sorry, that's not how things work in KSA. There's a lot of other data missing from that narrative.

You asked: Can they do this? My answer is: Can WHO do what? You mean, can they track you down and cancel your visa? Yes, apparently they can. I don't see why this would be so difficult for them to do and I don't understand why you would be so "shocked" that they could do this.

You asked: Is there any way to verify? My answer is: Is there any way to verify WHAT? You've got to be precise with what you're saying and asking. It's not at all clear what you mean.

But it appears you're putting yourself in jeopardy and again, quite frankly, I find it hard to believe that you are all that "surprised" by all this. You really didn't imagine that what you were doing was at least risky? Did your "new employer" just accept you like that? Without any verification of your ACTUAL (not perceived) legal status? Sorry, I don't buy it.
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Wicked_Witch



Joined: 30 Jul 2010
Posts: 29
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe I didn’t explain my situation correctly. I DID work at the vocational school (employer #1) for 89 days. One day before my probation ended I was fired. They said it was because I was a lousy teacher but it may be because their student intake went down. They gave me 3 days to pack and bought me a ticket to the states leaving Monday night out of Bahrain. Monday day, I was offered a position with an academy (employer #2) in Riyadh. They bought me a ticket to Riyadh leaving Tuesday morning from Dammam. Because I didn’t board the Monday night flight, HR came looking for me at the teachers’ accommodation Tuesday morning. We bumped heads at curb side where I was waiting for my ride to the airport. That is where I was told the visa has been canceled, I was illegal, the police would be waiting for me at the airport, etc. (of course they were not)
Before accepting the offer from employer #2, I googled everything I could about the business visa. It seems that the visa belongs to me, and I am free to enter, exit and move around inside KSA, as much as I like for 180 days. There is a website where you can check to see if your employer has reported you as a huroob (run away) by entering an iquama number. http://qsaudi.com/checking-huroob-status-of-iqama/ But nothing about run away business visa holders.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wicked_Witch wrote:
Maybe I didn’t explain my situation correctly. I DID work at the vocational school (employer #1) for 89 days. One day before my probation ended I was fired. They said it was because I was a lousy teacher but it may be because their student intake went down. They gave me 3 days to pack and bought me a ticket to the states leaving Monday night out of Bahrain. Monday day, I was offered a position with an academy (employer #2) in Riyadh. They bought me a ticket to Riyadh leaving Tuesday morning from Dammam. Because I didn’t board the Monday night flight, HR came looking for me at the teachers’ accommodation Tuesday morning. We bumped heads at curb side where I was waiting for my ride to the airport. That is where I was told the visa has been canceled, I was illegal, the police would be waiting for me at the airport, etc. (of course they were not)

Before accepting the offer from employer #2, I googled everything I could about the business visa. It seems that the visa belongs to me, and I am free to enter, exit and move around inside KSA, as much as I like for 180 days. There is a website where you can check to see if your employer has reported you as a huroob (run away) by entering an iquama number. http://qsaudi.com/checking-huroob-status-of-iqama/ But nothing about run away business visa holders.

For starters, you weren't fired because you're not a bona fide (legal) employee per Saudi labor law. The sponsor terminated your services. Ditto for the academy; they too are not your employer nor are they the sponsor indicated on your business visit visa. Therefore, checking a website specific to muqeem/iqama holders is completely irrelevant in your situation. Additionally, your biz visit visa may allow you to exit/reenter prior to its expiration, but it does not allow you to leave one sponsor to work for another.


Last edited by nomad soul on Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:57 am; edited 1 time in total
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you had left - even to Bahrain - and then come back, you would be in a better position. If your first place of "business" want to make you squirm, they can. It just depends on how vindictive they are. It is hard to generalise but I have come across Saudi institutions - and individuals - who would go to extraordinary lengths to get even with foreigners who tried to outsmart them.

Coming to work on a business visa is not a good move.
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