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leez
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 115
Location: wait until next week...yes, of course the embassy is closed on monday!
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 Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear gorkomi,
" . . . a legal employment visa."
From what I've been reading on this forum, "legal employment visas" seem to be in the minority these days.
Regards,
John |
dear johnslat,
maybe that's why others are ahead of me. i'm one of those 'minority' waiting for a work visa. was initally asked if i would come over on a business visa, and said, 'sure,' then after research wrote back and said i would have to decline the employment offer on a business visa. return reply was that an employment/work visa would be obtained for me.
so here i lay in a pool of jello, makin' angel wings, bored senseless and cranky as all get out. forget the jeans, man, i'm wearing elasticized waist pants at this point! at what point does one pull the plug on this insanity? i feel like driving to the saudi embassy in DC and camping out until i can at least reclaim my passport!..... 
what in the world are all the recruits doing to survive, i wonder? 
nothing to cheer about at the moment,
leez
xo |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Check it's a proper work visa and not a temporary work visit visa. |
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reneebcc
Joined: 26 Jan 2009
Posts: 60
Location: Georgia
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:40 pm Post subject: Visa |
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Dear leez,
I feel your pain as I'm still waiting endlessly for my visa  |
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leez
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 115
Location: wait until next week...yes, of course the embassy is closed on monday!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Stephen Jones wrote: |
| Check it's a proper work visa and not a temporary work visit visa. |
sj,
didn't know there was a distinction, just read that a work visa was the proper visa to have to work in KSA. of the two mentioned, i am going to make an educated guess that the 'proper work visa' holds more .... what? legitimacy? clout? duration? and if i am to discover that i am in my 4th month of this hiring process and will be assigned a temporary work visa, what am i going to do about it? decline it? i don't even know what it is, though i do know what temporary means.
would you mind sharing a bit more about the pros/cons of the two beasts. though it is friday afternoon, i will call the visa coordinator and see if she has any idea.
thanx,
leezer
xo |
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leez
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 115
Location: wait until next week...yes, of course the embassy is closed on monday!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: Visa |
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| reneebcc wrote: |
Dear leez,
I feel your pain as I'm still waiting endlessly for my visa |
reneebcc,
i am normally not a whiny butt BUT (  ) i'm cranky and feel like pitching a fit right now. haven't worked since the end of july, and summer work was part time, after 2 years of being in school and living on student loans. anyone with two brain cells can figure my financial situation. as another poster lamented, time off but no money to travel/do anything. thinking i should have taken the business visa when it was offered, thinking i should have gotten into an 'any kind of job' during this down time, thinking i should have taken the offer to teach fall classes at the language institute, starting sep 8......thinking, thinking, i didn't do any of it and now i feel boxed in a corner and for me that's about the worst feeling in the world: no choice.
on the other hand, when i'm not fuming and snorting, i remind myself what the veteran posters write time and again regarding the patience needed because the saudi way is on the 'saudi minute' way. ya, ya, i can go with that, can go with the patient mode, but when the bank account is sitting on 'E' and bills continue on their endless monthly cycle...that is putting this pays-her-bills-on-time girlie in a shaky place...
okay, i've gotten to vent a bit. given the thread topic, figured it was part and parcel of what we recruits are up to!
aargh,
leez
xo |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Dear leez,
From what I've been able to gather (and I could be wrong) if you have a "normal" (usually one year) employment visa, your visa will certainly always be renewed in the Kingdom.
But the fairly new "business visas" and "six-month temporary work visas" that seem to be making so widespread an appearance lately appear to be ones that you would have to go out of country (Bahrain is always mentioned) to renew.
Whether you'd have to pay out of pocket (and maybe get reimbursed or maybe not) or whether your employer would pay also seems to be variable, depending entirely on your employer's policy.
Regards,
John |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Linda 467 says she was given a temporary work visa.
People have been talking about these before on the forum but it was only after her post that I was able to find information on official Saudi websites. The only really detailed one I have found is in French, as it's from the Paris Embassy, so on y va!
Visa de visite de travail
Ce type de visa est d�livr� aux personnes qui se rendent en Arabie Saoudite dans le cadre d�une activit� temporaire "� ne pas d�passer les 3 mois" et qui n�ont pas le statut commercial. G�n�ralement, ce type de visa est accord� aux ing�nieurs, m�decin, techniciens et artisans.
Documents � fournir:
* Passeport d�une validit� minimum de 6 mois
* Pour les non fran�ais: une photocopie de la carte de s�jour en cours de validit�
* L�autorisation d�livr�e par le Bureau des Etrangers "Isteekdam" مكتب الاستقدام (c�est � la personne r�sidant en Arabie Saoudite de faire les d�marches n�cessaires � cet �gard)
* Attestation de travail �tablie par l'employeur bas� en France ou dans la Communaut� Europ�enne.
* Un formulaire d�ment rempli et sign� par l�int�ress�. T�l�charger le formulaire 52452_Formulaire_Visa.rtf
* Deux photos d�identit�
Tarif du visa:
* 65 euros par passeport pour entr�e simple valide 29 jours; dur�e maximum de s�jour 29 jours
* 160 euros par passeport pour entr�es multiples valide 3 mois pour des s�jours de 29 jours maximum � chaque voyage).
http://sefr.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.asp?InSectionID=2885&InNewsItemID=52453
The Canberra Embassy is more succinct:
TEMPORARY WORK VISIT VISA
In addition to the above General Instructions:
* Number and date of your visa authorisation issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry. This should be arranged by the sponsor in Saudi Arabia.
* Contract for temporary work signed by the sponsoring company and the applicant.
* Original of your degree/diploma.
* Certificate showing at least 2 years prior work experience in a similar/related field of work.
* Visa Fee is AUD 88.00 (single entry visa) or AUD 220.00 (multiple entry visa).
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.asp?InSectionID=2705&InNewsItemID=53542 |
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leez
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 115
Location: wait until next week...yes, of course the embassy is closed on monday!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear leez,
From what I've been able to gather (and I could be wrong) if you have a "normal" (usually one year) employment visa, your visa will certainly always be renewed in the Kingdom.
But the fairly new "business visas" and "six-month temporary work visas" that seem to be making so widespread an appearance lately appear to be ones that you would have to go out of country (Bahrain is always mentioned) to renew.
Whether you'd have to pay out of pocket (and maybe get reimbursed or maybe not) or whether your employer would pay also seems to be variable, depending entirely on your employer's policy.
Regards,
John |
dear johnslat,
you may have saved me a call to the visa coordinator (hereafter referred to as VC  ).
yes, my application involves a one-year working visa, but what good does it do if it takes so long to get that i am forced to drop out of the game due to financial constraints?
regarding costs, not sure what you mean. i paid $120 to the VC for her courier services, and $8 for my degree certification. i have it in writing that if i submit receipts for the VC cost, it will be reimbursed. if i EVER have to do this again, i will go to the embassy myself, take my kindle, and park in the embassy lobby day in and out until i have papers in my hand. ah, the beauty of experience...
thanks,
leezer
xo |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Dear leez,
" . . . . regarding costs, not sure what you mean."
That was in reference to the costs incurred for those who are on the "temporary work visas" or "business visas" and have to go out of Saudi to "renew" their visas.
With your "legal visa." you shouldn't have a problem getting reimbursed as long as you've held onto the receipts (though it might take a while.)
Regards,
John |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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| The great advantage of the one year working visa is that you get a residence permit and never need to go to the embassy again until you decide to change jobs. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Stephen,
You know - it just occurred to me. All those people on these six-month "temporary work visas" and "business visas", if they're from the US and can't "establish residency" in Saudi, are they going to be eligible for the
"no IRS taxes," I wonder.
I know I never had to pay taxes (although I always filed) because I had "established residency" in the KSA>
Regards
John |
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lazycomputerkids
Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 360
Location: Tabuk
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
| Dear Stephen, You know - it just occurred to me... are they going to be eligible for the "no IRS taxes," I wonder. |
I'm a US resident and the offer I accepted was advertised as a year contract, tax free. A second year is encouraged, but by a third year I would pay taxes to SA. Or so the offer's details stated. My recruiter's answers to tax questions were not as clear cut-- I was encouraged to consult an accountant. A family friend who lived in SA twenty years ago recalled a criterion of 18 months to "pay no taxes."
I won't deny the appeal of "no taxes" weighing in my decision to accept the offer. I doubt I'm alone in finding a perverse pleasure in attempting to avert Benjamin Franklin's maxim of death and taxes. Now if I can just find a plan for Mr. Franklin's first ultimatum. ^(^ |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| but by a third year I would pay taxes to SA. Or so the offer's details stated. |
There's no income tax in Saudi Arabia; sounds like a boiler-plate offer.
I'm sure the IRS have bigger fish to fry, John. If these people have renewable 'visit visas' and their income comes from Saudi, then they have de facto residence. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Stephen,
You're probably right as "bigger fish." But just in case anyone wants ot research it:
"Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
If you meet certain requirements, you may qualify for the foreign earned income and foreign housing exclusions and the foreign housing deduction.
If you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien of the United States and you live abroad, you are taxed on your worldwide income. However, you may qualify to exclude from income up to $87,600 of your foreign earnings. In addition, you can exclude or deduct certain foreign housing amounts.
You may also be entitled to exclude from income the value of meals and lodging provided to you by your employer. Refer to Exclusion of Meals and Lodging in Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, and Publication 15-B, Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits for more information."
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=97130,00.html |
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leez
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 115
Location: wait until next week...yes, of course the embassy is closed on monday!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Stephen Jones wrote: |
| The great advantage of the one year working visa is that you get a residence permit and never need to go to the embassy again until you decide to change jobs. |
sj,
thanks for the silver lining.
for those of you lucky enough to start on the first day of classes, best wishes for a great day tomorrow (guess it's today, given the time diff).
cheers,
leezer
xo |
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