Job Discussion Forums

[ghost]

Folks:

Did any of you get a Saudi work visa from a country that was not one of the major anglo countries?

I am presently residing in France, until I come to Saudi, and was wondering if I can simply send all the required documents to the Saudi Embassy in Paris? I have no intention of returning to Canada at this time.

As I reside near Marseille, some 800km from Paris, where the Saudi Embassy is located, I hope to be able to do everything by mail with the Embassy.

Any advice would be most grateful at this time.

Ghost in France

[007]

I do not think it has anything to do with the Anglo countries, it has to do with your passport/residency status and where you signed your contract.
It will depends on your passport and your residency status in France.
If you do not have a French passport or you are not legally resident in France, I might guess you will face a big problem with your visa processing!
Now, you said that you are residing in France. Did you sign your contract in Canada or France?
If you signed your contract in Canada, I think they will send your Visa number to Canada, not France. So, you have to contact your employer and ask them if they could 're-direct' your visa number from Canada to Paris.
Also check with the SA embassy in Paris for your case.

Good luck.

[scot47]

As with many questions in this field, it depends on your employer. I think you should raise the question with them - or with Stephen Jones who is a bit of a specialist on the arcane workings of government offices in KSA.

[ghost]

[Stephen Jones]

First depends on the employer. KFUPM do it differently from the RC.

With the RC they have to transfer one visa from the block visa to the Saudi Embassy in the country you reside in. KFUPM didn't seem to need to do that.

The problem you may face is that of proving legal residence in France. The normal way is the visa stamp in the passport, but as you are a French citizen you obviously won't have one in the Canadian passport. This may or may not freak out the embassy

[MixtecaMike]

I was going to do my visa in Korea, where I was working at the time, but after a fruitless trip to the embassy in Seoul (having been told the invitation letter was there) received an email and phone call saying I could either get it in Australia (my nationality) or pick it up in Bahrain on the way through. I chose the latter, handed in all my documents at the embassy in Bahrain without any problems, only to be told in the afternoon "Big problem." Apparently the visa number I had wasn't for an Australian passport. I came in on a visit visa, and after several months of waiting for the visa to be transferred from Canberra to Bahrain eventually was sent to Australia to pick it up.
The moral of the story is that good things like Saudi visas come to those who wait (and wait, and wait...).

[personae gratae]

Hi Ghost

I really don't think getting your visa from France would be an issue.
As it's been said, it all depends on your employer. What visa are they going to send and where?
For more info on France/ French passports please PM.

All the best

P.G

[spiral78]

It seems to me that the problem is going to be that, by applying from Paris, the visa is going to likely be placed into your French passport - but it needs to be in your Canadian one to prove when you enter the kingdom that you are a native English speaker (qualified for the job for which you've been hired).

Is this correct?

If so, I think in your case, I would contact the Embassy in Paris, explain your situation, and find out whether the visa can be issued based on your Canadian passport and placed in it, rather than your French one. I can't speak for Saudi embassies, but I've often had better luck working with expat and local embassy staff than with in-country immigration officials.

[trapezius]

[ghost]

Another alternative is London. But I would prefer to avoid having to go there, as it is very expensive if you no longer have a base there.

I will try to send all my documents to the Saudi Embassy in Paris, with my Canadian passport and hope for the best.

Have some Instructors started late in Saudi because of visa delays?

Thank you for the feedback. At least there appears to be less paperwork compared to Korea, where there is a lot of paperwork involved.

Ghost in France

[Arab Strap]

I have a UK passport and permanent residency in the Czech Republic.

I was able to obtain a one month visit visa at the Saudi embassy in Prague without having to go to the UK.

The Royal Commission had me fly into Bahrain and do the medical and paperwork there. It took less than 24 hours.

As it�s been said time and time again here, it depends on your employer and your luck. You�ll not get any definitive answers here. There isn�t anything definitive when it comes to these things in KSA.

I would take any advice you get here with a large grain of salt, albeit well meant advice.

Direct these questions to your employer; if they are unable or unwilling to give you the answers then I would smell a very large rat. Any reputable organisation should employ an expeditor to deal with these things.

My situation was not dissimilar to yours. I bombarded the Royal Commission with emails and after a bit of research on their part they were able to steer me in the right direction. Our very own Stephen Jones was also very helpful in this respect (cheers mate)����

You're about to embark on a very long paper chase��..

[Cleopatra]

[scot47]

Dual nationality is not normally recognised in Saudi Arabia and I would not broadcast the fact that I had two passports.

You have to contact your employer about this. Each employer does things differently.

[007]

[ghost]