Job Discussion Forums

[Saudi4Ever]

Hello everyone,

My husband was recently offered a new position and is expected to start in the middle of February. He has informed his current employer of the offer, but will not officially resign until he has been notified that the Saudi Embassy in Bahrain has our Visas. I have a few concerns:

1. We will go to Bahrain and get Visas there. Do you know if the whole family must exit together? I'm expecting to deliver a baby around this time and would prefer to stay and then exit later. Is it possible for my husband and children to exit without me, or does everyone have to clear out?

2. Do you know if most people receive their end of service bonus, along with anything else owed, on short term notice or is it likely to have to wait a while to get it?

Thanks in advance

3. I welcome all helpful tips and comments, especially from those who have 'been there done that'.

[Stephen Jones]

If your husband has left on a final exit visa wouldn't you have lost all your medical cover anyway?

[scot47]

Final Exit means for dependants too.

[Saudi4Ever]

Scot47 and Stephen, since you were the first (only) to answer, you'll be stuck as my advisers

Our current medical coverage, is only at Government Hospitals. A few years ago the Government, stop covering for births of expats. So we will be paying for this anyway...private hospital or otherwise.

I just received word from my husband that, he must give at least one month notice to his job. His future employer wants him to start Feb 13th with classes starting Feb 16th. If he gives notice today, he may be able to at least make it on time for the first day of classes. However, we're nervous. The job offer said, NOT to resign from current job or vacate housing UNTIL we have our new Visas in our passports. Of course that is impossible, because we must exit first. So this decision to notify his job today is weighing heavily on us. We want to do this, but you know how things don't always go as planned. The new employer appears to be reliable...

Good news is, I can now set the date for my delivery (c-sec) and not worry about having the baby in Bahrain.

[Bebsi]

[Cleopatra]

Another point is that, if you are leaving one job in KSA only to go back to another within a few months, you will of course need a No Object Cert (NOC) from your first employer. Are you certain this will be forthcoming?

[007]

[Saudi4Ever]

My husband has been on a Work Visa for several years now. We are all on the same iqama, except for our domestic helper, whom he is the khafeel (sponsor) for. He'll transfer her iqama to someone else before we leave. Which is interesting, because it only takes one day (about an hour) to do this, but he is being told by both employers that he can not transfer his iqama and one of the reasons is that it is too tme consuming.

Cleo, he has not checked on the NOC, as of yet, but he has no reason to believe that it will be withheld. his current employer is excellent and is sad to see him leave. In fact we are down grading by leaving, but there is more to life than money....right guys?

[007]

If your husband has a car, he will not get a final exit visa until he sells the car, in addition he has to obtain a clearance letters (some employers ask for this letter) for his bills (rent, electricity, telephones, etc, etc,etc!).

[Cleopatra]

[scot47]

Not very good timing. You are hoping that everything will go according to plan.

That is not my experience of how life works - anywhere, but especially in this part of the world.

[Saudi4Ever]

Cleo, I've thought about that too. However, his employer has a very good reputation.

[Cleopatra]

All I can do is echo Scot: you are working on a 'best case scenario' basis, which is perhaps not the best way to go about an important procedure.

Regardless of the employer's "good reputation" IMHO it would be foolish to proceed on the mere assumption that your husband will be granted a NOC. As I've said, there is no obligation on any Saudi employer to grant NOCs. Unless the employer has explicatly told that you will indeed get an NOC, his failure to grant one now might seem unfair to you, but is perfectly within the bounds of normality in KSA - yes, even for employers with 'good reputations'.

[Saudi4Ever]

Cleo, I was under the impression that NOC's are no longer required.

We wait...

[johnslat]

Dear Saudi4Ever,
I found this, and considering how "the law" in the Kingdom is, at least sometimes, subject to individual interpretation, it sounds like it might be accurate:

"There is something called NOC, an acronymn for No Objection Certificate. If you would like to work for another employer in Saudi Arabia, unless your present sponsor gives you an NOC, it is impossible to switch jobs. Of course, officially the law says that NOC is no longer required if it has not been specifically agreed in your original contract, but in reality the law has not been implemented. Surprised? How can there be a law but which is not implemented? Read on. What this means is that there is a law which says that you don't need an NOC any more to change your job (unless you have waived this right in your contract), but this law has not been put into effect in practice.
One of my friends, a safety officer, got an offer from another company which he could not refuse. As a matter of precaution, he did not resign but went on vacation to his home country on a short leave. He visited the Saudi consulate and enquired personally about this to the officer in the consulate, whether he could visit the kingdom on another visa and work for another sponsor. He was simply brushed aside with the typical Arabic comment "Kalli Valli" (loosely translated, this could mean in this context "just forget it" or "nothing doing")! When my friend insisted that a law has already been passed, the officer said that for him to implement the law, he should be instructed by his Foreign Office and by nobody else! In short, it means that whatever the law says, if it is not implemented, you simply have no chance for re-employment in the kingdom if your current sponsor would not agree for the same. The grapevine is that the law was implemented on paper only to satisfy WTO requirements, but obviously this cannot be verified.
So, if you are a first-timer who is looking forward to working in Saudi Arabia, then you better know about this important rule and choose your employer carefully. As they say, it is better to be safe than sorry."


http://workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com/2007/06/switching-jobs-in-saudi-kalli-valli.html

Regards,
John