ARAB NEWS: JUNE 8, 2013 Refused an exit visa, expat mulls smuggling himself out A construction worker working for a company in the red zone, and whose residency permit has expired, is considering leaving the country illegally because he cannot get a final exit visa. The criterion for getting a final exit visa is to get a temporary residency permit from the Ministry of Labor. However, the Labor Ministry has now refused to issue temporary residency permits. Many desperate workers have now been going in vain to the passport and immigration offices to find a solution to their problem. Saleh Hamed, an Egyptian who works for a company in the red zone, and whose residency permit expired last June, says he is now seriously considering being smuggled out of the country through Yemen and then on to Egypt. He said he has been struggling for the last 10 days to get an exit visa by shuttling between various government departments. He said the Passport Department told him to get a temporary permit from the labor office. When he went to the labor office, they refused to give him one and sent him to immigration, which in turn sent him back to the Passport Department. He said he has paid various penalties and fees but still cannot leave the country. His sponsor, Abdullah Al-Amoudi, confirmed that they have been sent from one department to another. He said the labor office should solve this problem so that workers can leave the country. Commentator Ali bin Awad Abu Jana said the problem lies with the labor office, which has to issue a temporary permit for the passport office to stamp and then issue an exit visa.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:19:11 +0000
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