Job Discussion Forums

[waltgomez]

Our company, from what I've heard, often takes 2+ months to get us Iqamas. They send us to Bahrain to get work visas there ( by taking the medical) which are 3 month ones while Iqama is being processed. Some say we can't leave the country if we have no Iqamas yet.

But then, what if we need to leave on an emergency?

Some say that the work visa number is the Iqama number and that we can still leave provided we get an exit-reentry visa even if we have no Iqamas.

Would like to ascertain.

Anecdotes are welcome.

[Dr X]

[scot47]

My understanding was that while waiting for an iqama it is not possible to leave. You have to be processed in before you can be processed out.

I do not see that this is a big deal. Look on your stay in the region as a kind of pedagogical equivalent of the Foreign legion.

[waltgomez]

[Desert Dueller]

You cannot leave KSA whilst your iqama is being processed. Once that is complete you may apply for an exit/re-entry visa (which can be done within a day).
As to your potential requirement to regularly visit your mother in CA, may I suggest that under these circumstances KSA (and the region in general) and its restrictive visa regime is not for you. I recommend looking for work closer to home, at least in the interim.

[DessertMonkey]

[Motorcycleman]

I have heard conflicting reports about the ability to leave the KSA without the correct paperwork. Initially, I was under the impression that you would be turned back at the border. Now, I understand that you can leave without any visa, but you won't be able to get back in, until your position is normalised (which usually takes 3 years by default).

[Allizwell]

Just a couple of months ago, a colleague was able to get his exit/re-entry visa (processed within a couple of days). Even though he didn't have his Iqama in-hand, his Iqama number had already been issued. That's all you need to get the exit/re-entry visa.

[Captain Willard]

Well, if the employer has enough wasta, work visas are now being processed in Bahrain. This can come as a surprise to those who were expecting business/visit visas. The question is if someone was not expecting the work visa, how does one then exit the kingdom? Presumably, in the first 90 days, one can self-terminate his/her contract, but at what cost? My assumption is that the employer can deduct or demand the airfare, travel and visa costs if the employee wants out. More likely, people will get an exit visa for holidays and just not return.

[scot47]

Most employers in KSA expect employees to have some commitment to being long-term in Saudi Arabia. they do not want people who have one leg in the Mideast and the other in California or Cricklewood.

[Captain Willard]

Well, no Sh1t€, Sherlock. Most employers in KSA still have an attitude that employees are essentially slaves with no rights under the labor laws, with whom they can do with what they please. Thus, many expats PREFER to work on a visit/business visa so they are not involuntarily held captive here in the event of a family emergency, civil strife, etc.

None of that answers the problem of what one does when someone with wasta is able to evade the normal rules and issues work visas from a third country, contrary to what was agreed. That demonstrates a lack of basic trust for working for an employer in KSA.

[Captain Willard]

According to the consulate, "If the application for your iqama/muqeem (residency permit) has already been submitted, then your immigration status has probably been adjusted and you will need an exit/reentry or final exit visa in order to leave." So it appears if one leaves quickly, no employer permission is needed, (although a 3 year ban is possible).

My next questions are
1. What steps are required for that application?
2. How quickly is it normally done?
3. What steps if any can be taken to slow the process, i.e., refusing to sign a paper and ink copy of contract once in KSA, etc.?

[scot47]

Cap'n Willard over-dramatizes the situation by describing the position of those holding an iqama as "involuntary captives".

[Captain Willard]

Unlike most of the rest of the world, the employee does not file for the iqama/muqeem (residency permit). The employer does it, even if the employee doesn't want it. Then the employee is trapped, even if the wrong visa was issued by "mistake".

Those are the facts, and just the facts, Ma'am. No drama has been added to the systematic violation of human rights.

[scot47]

You are not in Judge Judy's Courtroom and last time I looked I was definitely not a "ma'am" !

If your definition if "freedom" is going to Saudi on a business visa, then we are on different wavelengths.