Job Discussion Forums

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Tell Mario I said hello!

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

The 1 December paycheck came in on the same day that the banks closed down for Hajj. I am giving them credit for 17 December.

In other news, they have not paid GOSI, and so they cannot get any exit-reentry visas. We hope to fix this soon, I am scheduled for vacation on the first of the month. Airline tickets? Why yes, unrefundable ones, why do you ask?

ExDIFA · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Canada

Hello Paul in Saudi

First I just wanted to let you know that there are people out here that know what you are going through. I am an Ex DIFA employee who has gone through some of what you are going through, although I excaped almost two years ago.
I still have friends there, fewer by the day, that I keep in contact with and from what I hear things should be looking up fairly soon. I heard a rumor that it may be finally over for the DIFA monster. Word is that another company, big Americian company, may be taking over as soon as April.
I know that probably doesn't ease your current situation but at least there is hope.
Like you, I really enjoyed my Saudi experience, minus the DIFA thing, I met good people, had good times and learned to scuba dive. I would gladly go back if the rumors prove to be true. Time will tell.
Anyway, I hope that everything works out for you.
Keep Posting.

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Well, they say DIFA will give up contract management and become a silent partner to the American ARINC in March or so. Believe nothing until you see it.

In other news, I have to try to get a refund of my vacation tickets. I am scheduled to leave on Wednesday but DIFA has not paid its GOSI so the government will not issue us any visas.

Oddly the employees not being able to leave does not seem like an emergency to the management. Wonder why.

So anyway, how was Korea?

Van Norden · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 409

Why are you still there? Because the colonel begged you to stay? Are you a masochist?

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Well, DIFA seems to be on its last legs, and I really truly dislike being without a job. In addition, these folks will simply not give a LONO, and all the employers who were interested in me required one.

So, I suspect it will get better and with no LONO it is hard to get a good job in The Kingdom.

(By the way ex-DIFA, I was wrong with the Korea comment. In any case, we all hope you are doing well. I got your rental car cleared up.)

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Well, Happy New Year!

No pay on 1 February (of course) but also no buses to take us to work. No buses on Thursday or Friday either.

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

I just had a disturbing conversation with my mechanic. He has a job waiting for him in New Zealand. He put in a no-benifits seven-day resignation letter. He can't leave.

His residency permit is expired. It cannot be renewed until the GOSI is paid. There is no word on when that will be. You cannot get a visa of any sort on an expired iguama. He is trapped here.

Creepy as heck, isn't it?

No pay so far this month. Of course.

johnyarrington · Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Saudi Arabia

Dear Paul in Saudi,

I hear this story many, many times. I always wonder: Why IN THE WORLD did he allow his visa to expire???! He CAN read Arabic, can't he?? He KNEW this time was going to come. He HAS TO KNOW of many, many other stories like this. I know these situations are complicated, but have you asked him?? In my personal experience, there is always, always something more to the story. People often say, "Well, he (the sponsor) SAID he would renew it!" or some other such nonsense. Is anybody really that naive??

Good, bad, or indifferent, you can argue about it till the cows come home. Facts are facts: EVEN I (an American, professional English teacher sponsored by an influential, highly respected school, and with 10 years in the Kingdom, and with someone who has a certain amount of "wasta", just by being here).......could not leave the Kingdom with an expired visa, either.

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Forgive me Scott, I am not following you.

My friend's Igama expired. It cannot be renewed as we are blacklisted as the company has not paid GOSI. As a result his bank account is frozen and he cannot get an exit visa.

Under these circumstances, how could he have prevented having his Igama expire? Can he renew it himself?

BTW, is it true the customs people can now issue some sort of exit visa at the airport if you simply insist on leaving?

johnyarrington · Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Saudi Arabia

Dear Paul in Saudi,

1.Who's Scott?

2. In regards to: ".......how could he have prevented having his Igama expire? Can he renew it himself?.........."

I got no idea, man. I don't know how he could have prevented it, and I don't know if he can renew it himself. I would seriously doubt it. WOULD THIS MAKE SENSE???? A big part of the Iqama is to control you. If people could renew it themselves......there'd be chaos. In the time I've been here, I've seen more chicanery, more shysters, more fakes, phonies, and fly-by-nighters, more incompetence, more overpaid and underworked people.........than I ever have anywhere!

Except me, of course!

People here spread ALL KINDS of rumors. All manor of half-truths, reported gossip, things ".....(they) read in the newspaper......" Gimme break, man! THE NEWSPAPER????? People quote the Arab Snooze as if it were the Wall St. Journal, or the New York Times. They USED to be good sources of news, but now even they got fakes, gossips, rumor-mongers.

The main thing I know after listening to a lot of this nonsense is........
I don't know!

I'm NOT talking about Saudis. I'm talking about foreigners.

3. As to whether you can get an exit visa at airport ......"if you simply insist on leaving......" WHO KNOWS???? This sounds again like so much gossip, so much rumor-mongering.

Ask the guy a lot of questions. For starters, I would wonder.......

How does ANYONE "KNOW" if GOSI has been paid??? Where would he, or anyone else get this information?

What I know about the countless, ridiculous rumors of accounts being frozen is........

One of my 3 banks notified me 6 weeks before my Iqama was to expire. I "immediately" renewed my Iqama (well, I paid for it, and took it to my company to renew, which is the ONLY way I've ever ACTUALLY had it done........Although I HAVE heard numerous "other ways" to do it. All sounded bogus to me.
Another one notified my 3 days before it was to expire. Then, after I renewed it, and brought a, stamped-by-my-company-in-Arabic copy AND the original, they sent me another notice, saying, "You have to renew your Iqama." So I took it in again to show them.

A third bank didn't notify me at all. So I went in to renew it anyway. At each bank, the entire process took about 10 minutes.

I did this all, remember, about 6 weeks IN ADVANCE of when it was supposed to expire.

Didn't your friend see this coming?? Didn't he ask?? Didn't he check 6 times??? Why not??

running dog · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 37

Mr.Arrington (sic)
Sorry about this, but is no on else going to have a go at this guy? Scot? V.S? I know the English language is mutating, if not in free-fall, but surely there are limits? Is this the type of "native speaker" that now passes muster in the Kingdom? All comments welcome.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

The mechanic seems to have fallen through the cracks in the system. I fail to see the point of Mr. Arrington's rant.

If your sponsor fails to renew your iqama, either willfully or because they have been prevented from doing so, then you find yourself in no-man's land.

The ludicrous SAMA regulations freezing bank accounts only compound the miseries, since whilst your embassy can negotiate your departure (or you can go along to the immigration department and ask them to deport you), there is no procedure in place at present for negotiating with the banks to get your money out.

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Sorry, I said Scott when I ought to have said Johnny, Johny, whatever. I was not paying attention.

Well the managers are telling us the company has failed to pay GOSI. That is as good as rumors get around here. They have no word from out headquarters of when they might get around to paying it. As a result people have their iquamas expire, their accounts frozen and nobody, not even those with a valid residency permit can leave the Kingdom.

Yes, I know when my iquama expires, but the company will not (or cannot as you ma prefer) renew it.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

GOSI is not paid for foreigners. It looks as if because of various debts your company has been banned from recruiting any foreigners at all.

I think it's time you went along to the embassies and the labour office, and tried to get things sorted out.