Job Discussion Forums

morland · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

I want to know if the following scenario is normal or is something fishy:

I got a job offer about 2 months back from a KSA compnay but still have not received anything which I can use to get the Visa from the Saudi embassy and eventually got to KSA.

I have checked many times with my prospective employer and the last version that I was given is that my visa application was rejected twice by the MOFA (ministry of Foreign affairs) and that I need not worry since they are taking this very seriously and personally. I have a feeling that I am not being told the truth. I also asked them about the type of visa that they had applied for and I was told that they applied for a Business visit visa. Can a business visit visa be converted into a normal work visa later and so that I can get the iqama and get my family there too.

Has anyone else also been through a same experience or knows of someone who went through a same situation.

Thanks.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I would say forget them and go elsewhere. Usually the "business visa" is a warning sign, although SOME reputable employers bring in peoople this way.

morland · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

Mia Xanthi · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject:

Don't back out just based on the above advice. I know that PMU in the Eastern Province has brought many people over on business visas and changed them to work visas in the first few months of employment. Yes, in general, it is a bad sign, but in some cases it is the only way a new institution can handle things.

As for the two month wait, you can take this as a test of your patience with Saudi bureaucracy. It is a reflection of the level of competence that you are going to be dealing with.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I think PMU is a special case. For othe employers who want people to come on a business visa..I would recommend the THUMBS DOWN.

morland · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

PMU is Prince Mohammed University - a newish institution in Eastern Province. They are under the patronage of HE Prince Mohammed bin Fahad bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Eastern Province. So of course they are a bit special.

Tell us what employer is dealying your "business visa" and maybe you will generate some comments.

There is a great deal of information already on this forum. I recommend reading as much of it as seems relevant. Use the SEAERCH function to find out about visas.

morland · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

Hello scot47.

At this stage I am not in a position to disclose the name of the company as it may jeopardize things for me Confused

I will certainly search for relevant topics. However by now I have learned that things is KSA are extremely slow (to the extent to really testing one's patience).

Thanks.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

"Speed" is a relative concept. If you ask me the rest of the world moves too fast. You want everything TODAY ?

johnslat · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject:

Have you ever heard the phrase " . . . in a New York minute?"

"A New York minute is an informal term used to mean a very short period of time. The term refers to the common perception that the people in New York City are hurried and impatient."

I proposed the phrase " . . . in a Saudi minute."

This span of time is the polar opposite of a "New York minute" and is applicable when one is trying to get things done in the Kingdom.

However, the "New York minute" would still apply when one is driving in the Kingdom:

"Johnny Carson once described a New York Minute as being the time it takes "From the (traffic) lights to turn green, till the guy behind you starts honking his horn."

except that in Saudi, the honking usually begins about three seconds BEFORE the light turns green.

Regards,
John

Cleopatra · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject:

I think the cliche that everything takes a long time in KSA is true, but only up to a point. I think the whole concept of time is rather different here - Saudis don't really like to do things in 'stages' or to plan ahead - for example, I learned that there was little point in handing in my passport for visa processing well in advance of my trip, because the Saudi administrator would invariably send it for processing a few days before departure no matter how far in advance I had planned. Of course this type of thing doesn't happen everywhere, but it is fairly common.

Everything is done at the last minute, but normally it does get done - just! Saudis think nothing of booking a holiday a few days in advance and we teachers are very familiar with students who write their 12,000 word papers the night before they are due (mind you, that type of behaviour is hardly unique to Saudi students!) Of course, the whole 'last minute' mindset means that often things have to happen very quickly indeed - and they do. Particularly if you have some 'wasta' behind you, you can find that things get done incredibly quickly in KSA - if the will - and of course the wasta, is there.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I'd take another look at one detail. Correct me if I am wrong Saudi hands, but for the vast majority of employers, isn't the issuing of a "business" visa a big red flag? From what I have read here over the years, that is an option that I wouldn't consider for a moment. Mainly because too many employers will string you along and/or take months and months while you are in limbo and/or never get you the proper visa.

Hopefully you can learn on a search of this board of the employer whether your offer is from one of the dregs or not. If you don't find them mentioned on a search, I would be even more cautious of them.

VS

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Honestly, if this winds you up, then maybe KSA is not the place for you. Peopke who canot exercise patience do not last long in the Magic Kingdom.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Things take time. I have been at it (the visa process) since mid May, and two months later, I still do not see the finish line. The validity of the degrees earned in the U.S. have not been processed yet, and without that, I cannot send the paperwork to the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa, as they need all the pieces together.

The visa authorization number, however, by my University in Al Khobar, was issued weeks ago, but that means little until the actual visa is stamped in the passport.

I knew when starting this process that I needed a window of 3-4 months for everything to come together. The medicals have taken a long time too.

For those already working in other neighboring countries, they seem to face much less hassle in obtaining the coveted visa.

Ghost