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mingsoft
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Riyadh
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 Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: expat with family in Hail University |
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Hi guys,
Thanks to DAVE good job!
I am presently working in kuwait as a programmer and we have a branch in riyadh, I am frequently visiting our branch in riyadh wearing a biz visa.
My wife will be in Hail Univ this Nov. hopefully and she will bring the kids with her. My question is, is it possible for me to stay with my family on there accomodation. even if I have biz visa? my company is now processing my working visa (permanent) for KSA but I think it will take time.
Hope someone can give me positive reply on this, its so painful within if I cant be with my family, restriction is so high in the kingdom
Thanks
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:08 am Post subject: |
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| Since your wife will be living with your children in Hail, I assume she will be in 'family' as opposed to 'female' accomodation. If that's the case, I see no reason why you could not visit her and stay in university housing - provided you have a valid visa - of any kind - and can prove that you are indeed her husband. |
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cassava
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject: Re: expat with family in Hail University |
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| mingsoft wrote: |
My wife will be in Hail Univ this Nov. hopefully and she will bring the kids with her. My question is, is it possible for me to stay with my family on there accomodation. even if I have biz visa? my company is now processing my working visa (permanent) for KSA but I think it will take time.
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Of course, you should make sure that you have the required documents such as your marriage certificate and a proper visa when you go to visit your wife in Saudi. However, getting to stay with her might involve additional course of action.
A lot will depend on the location of her residence. The two main residences are Mishar1 and Mishar2. These are protected by armed guards. They tend to be quite strict and somewhat irrational. If you simply show up with the documents I mentioned, the guards will not let you in. What you have to do is to get your wife to obtain from the University of Hail, prior to your arrival, a statement, written in Arabic, and signed by an appropriate university official attesting to the fact that you are who you claim to be and that you have the right to visit your wife. The guards at the main entrance should be presented with a copy of this document.
I would advise you wife to follow this procedure if she is located in any of the two Mishar sites or if she is in the Darat building.
I understand that there is currently a shortage of accommodation for the faculty of the UOH. If that is the case, it is likely that the university will try to rent space in various buildings in town. If your wife happens to be in one of these, then security arrangements will be far less stringent, and she might not need to go to all the trouble of getting a special document.
Nevertheless, Saudi is a strange place and if you are South Asian, you will be viewed with more suspicion than, say, a white Anglo. I would therefore suggest that you err on the side of caution. In any case, regardless of your ethnicity, you need to remember that activities that would be regarded as quite normal in Kuwait will be viewed as totally unacceptable in the KSA. Keep this in mind when you go there. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| you need to remember that activities that would be regarded as quite normal in Kuwait will be viewed as totally unacceptable in the KSA. |
Not only that, but from what I've heard, activities that would be regarded as quite normal in Jeddah or even Riyadh are totally unacceptable in Hail! |
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cassava
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
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| you need to remember that activities that would be regarded as quite normal in Kuwait will be viewed as totally unacceptable in the KSA. |
Not only that, but from what I've heard, activities that would be regarded as quite normal in Jeddah or even Riyadh are totally unacceptable in Hail! |
I think that we have to be careful not to paint Hail with too broad a brush. It is, indeed, a very conservative part of Saudi Arabia, but I found the people, in general, to be very friendly and welcoming, whereas Riyadh and Jeddah were, for me, merely two more big, impersonal cities.
The one disquieting aspect of Hail that might be worthy of note is that some people seemed to undergo dramatic personality changes as they changed social roles. So, your friendly, easy-going Saudi pal whom you greet in town might turn out to be an absolutely horrible little man in his role as a guard at the entrance of a compound.
Similarly, some Saudi staff who would be quite obdurate and inconsiderate in the university setting often turned out to be quite pleasant and engaging when you encountered them in another context.
In Saudi, I was merely a member of a Canadian team of advisors who worked with the Ministry of Higher Education. Therefore, it is quite possible that I might have missed some of the intricacies of Saudi behaviour that would explain this seeming complexity. |
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mingsoft
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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thanks for sharing your views.
I will follow on those tips and hope all goes well.
Well good luck to us.
both of you working in Hail? (Cleo and Cass) |
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mingsoft
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Guys it was so discouraging to here on some post (see MK Trading). It is so risky letting my family go there.
Sigh |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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As long as you are on business visas and have your passports in hand, it is easy enough to get out. Just try to stay out of a situation in which you have no multiple exit/entry visas and they have your passport.
I feel your pain (and I am not being sarcastic) and I hope things go well for you and your family. This can be an extremely stressful time, especially for a married couple with children.  |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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I thought that you couldn't bring your family in on a business visa.
VS |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Dear veiledsentments,
I could be wrong, but I think his wife is coming on her own visa:
"My wife will be in Hail Univ this Nov. hopefully and she will bring the kids with her."
which leads me to believe that his wife will be teaching at Hail U. whereas he's living/working in Kuwait. His business visa allows him to visit Saudi.
Regards,
John |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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You need a scorecard to keep up with all the different applicants these days... lots of unusual tales to say the least. 
VS |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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Dear veiledsentiments,
OK, I'm officially declaring this to be "The Year of Living/Working Dangerously" in Saudi.
Regards,
John |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Just one of many threads on Hail - most are rather negative. |
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