Job Discussion Forums

[Roadthatimusttravel]

Hello all

Please excuse my naivety as I don't know the ESL scene in Saudi Arabia as well as some of the areas that I have taught in. I've been contacted by a number of recruiters recently who have stated that working without an Iqama is "normal" and that's it's perfectly legal / many teachers do it for several years / you can keep your passport / you just need to carry your passport with you and show it if questioned etc.

Could someone please answer as to how much of this is true or not? Thanks greatly in advance!

[veiledsentiments]

It is common, but not normal. It allows the employers to save money and get you there quickly, thus it has great benefit to them, but little or none to you. It is not legal as the stamp will say in Arabic - no work allowed.

Yes, there are many teachers stuck in this situation, and at the lower level employers, it is probably the only way to get in at all. BUT... you can't rent a flat, open a bank account, buy a car, etc etc. Transferring your pay out of the country can be problematic if you need to be able to do it regularly to pay bills back home.

The only advantage is that you do keep your passport and if the job is horrendous, you can go buy a ticket and leave overnight. And with most of the employers that use this visa, this can be crucial to escape.

VS

[nomad soul]

VS is correct. These recruiters don't want to foot the bill for proper work and residence permits, as required by the Saudi Labor Law. And they're certainly not going to tell you it's illegal for you to work for them on a visit visa. That simply would be bad for business!

From the Saudi Ministry of Interior's site (http://www.moi.gov.sa/) on the rules and regulations regarding the resident permit (iqama):

Companies, establishments and individuals must obtain residence and work permits for their employees. It is illegal to employ an alien who does not possess a residence or work permit.

[Roadthatimusttravel]

Thanks for the replies. A couple of recruiters said that "you will be paid by a company outside of SA into a bank outside of SA, and therefore it's legal". I.e. you are not actually paid'in' SA and therefore don't breach any laws.

Does that make a difference?

[johnslat]

Dear Roadthatimusttravel,

That MIGHT "protect" the company, but why would it protect you? It's working there without a valid visa that's illegal, Where you get paid is irrelevant.

Regards,
John

[veiledsentiments]

That most certainly does not make it legal, but it does get rid of one of the disadvantages for you.

VS

[nomad soul]

[veiledsentiments]

Much depends on the employer. For instance, if you are in the EFL department of KAUST, your paycheck is deposited into your US bank account. I know a teacher whose pay from Riyadh is automatically deposited in the UK.

That said, this recruiter has already lied about the visit/business visa being legal, so...

VS

[Roadthatimusttravel]

[veiledsentiments]

Yes, but can you trust these yahoos who are already lying blatantly to you about the legality of the visa they are slapping in your passport.

What else are they lying about...

VS

[nomad soul]

The Saudi Embassy�s U.S. Web page regarding business visit visa requirements states the following: �Business visas are issued to: businessmen, investors, representatives of U.S. companies, managers, sales managers, sales representatives, etc.� In other words, these are professionals who 1) are generally self-employed or employed through a company in their home country; and 2) are in Saudi Arabia solely for the purpose of business related to their (non-Saudi) company. (It's reasonable that consultants would be included in this list but certainly not EFL teachers unless brought over in some sort of valid, short-term consultancy role.) Furthermore, business visit visa holders are not employees of the Saudi company sponsoring them. In fact, per the embassy's business visit visa instructions, one of the documents that can be used to verify the applicant�s position is a letter addressed to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. by the applicant�s employer in the U.S., confirming the applicant's job title and that he is "being sent on a business visit related to his company." (Note, however, that this letter is optional, which works in unscrupulous recruiters' favor.) Plus, in theory, any monetary compensation from the Saudi entity would be wired directly into the visitor�s bank account in his/her home country or as a direct payment to the visa holder�s employer/company through which pay is then allocated. Also, all business visit visa holders (and those holding visit visas in general) are required to have a return ticket to and from Saudi Arabia to indicate their objective is only that of a visit and that they intend to leave the Kingdom before their 90-day visa expires since this type of visa doesn't grant them the right to work or reside in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In reality, this isn't the case for teachers brought over by recruiters.

[battleshipb_b]

The fact remains that there are a couple of places that hire 'illegals' to work. Some people enter on Haj or Omra visas and then vanish into the Kingdom. Others come as legitmate tourists through friends (often Saudi students in the US or Australia) and then stay on. Some are not qualified but for a few rinky-dinky places, 'native speaker' is all they are looking for. These people demean the teaching profession but as long as rinky-drink institutes underpay and don't provide the basics, these types will manage to survive. Some of them are kept are by their 'friends'.