Nobody wishes to live in a chaotic situation. Instead, with the exception of some abnormal or reckless people, everyone wants to live in a situation where the law prevails. This is because the law protects not only the rights of everyone but it also compels them to do their duty. It enables everyone to live in peace and security, and in a situation in which all are equal in the eyes of the law and where the weak need not fear the strong and the strong cannot deprive the weak of their rights. Allah has blessed Saudi Arabia with the wealth of petroleum and that has led to an unprecedented development boom. This required the Kingdom to hire the citizens of a number of sisterly countries to work as doctors, engineers, technicians and laborers. These people left their country as well as their kith and kin and came to the Kingdom to take part in the nation’s building and development process. These people came to earn money to improve their living conditions as well as to support their families back home and provide their children with a brighter future. The influx of the huge number of guest workers to the Kingdom was based on the so-called sponsorship system. The Ministry of Labor issued visas to contractors, owners of companies and establishments, and individual sponsors to recruit expatriates to work for them. With the passage of time, a section of Saudi society emerged which wanted to get rich quick. These people manage to get a large number of visas and engage in the visa trade. They do not have jobs to employ all of the expatriates whom they recruit. Therefore, they tell the expatriates whom they have brought to the Kingdom to go out in search of jobs for themselves. Such workers are required to pay the sponsor a fixed amount each month or year. Such visas are known as free visas in the market. Similarly, there are large numbers of workers who run away from their sponsors, as well as many others who overstay their Haj and Umrah visas. In addition to these, there are people who have infiltrated the Kingdom from neighboring countries. There are some Saudis who are engaged in illegally arranging jobs and accommodation for these people. There are also some agents who forge residency permits (iqamas) and whatever fake documents are required by these undocumented expatriates. In the past, there was no systematic method to investigate such unlawful acts except some occasional raids by the concerned authorities to catch illegal expatriates. Most often these raids were restricted to certain districts and those who were nabbed in such raids were then deported to their countries. However, this year teams from the Ministry of Labor and the General Directorate of Passports began conducting inspection raids. Many people described these raids as unplanned and said that they were conducted without first carrying out proper studies. The raids targeted those expatriates who work with employers other than their sponsors, and this resulted in an uproar and panic and the eventual closure of many businesses and firms, especially international and private schools, hospitals, polyclinics, restaurants, boofiyas, and grocery stores. As a result of this, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah issued an order granting a three-month grace period to correct the work and residency status of all undocumented expatriates in the Kingdom. One month after the order was issued, the Ministry of Labor came out with guidelines to complete the correction procedures. These guidelines also stipulate that strict punitive measures shall be taken against those who fail to seize the opportunity to correct their status before the end of the July 3 deadline. When citizens and expatriates realized that the Ministry of Labor and the Passports Department were serious and determined to punish those who remain undocumented at the end of the grace period, they began to race against time and rush to Labor and Passport offices as well as to their embassies and consulates to correct their status. A large number of expatriates now crowd offices that are limited in number, and that subsequently has resulted in a heavy rush and ordeal for both officials and those assembled in front of them who are anxious to finalize their documents. Even the extension of working hours until late at night has not resulted in easing the rush. This at times has resulted in situations in which staff, security guards and those wishing to correct their status lose their temper. The scorching sun and the long queues in front of offices also add fuel to the fire. As a result, there have been incidents such as Passport officials allegedly scolding expatriates and one official beating an expatriate with a belt. Such acts are unacceptable and disgraceful whatever justification there may be for them. Those who are responsible for such acts should be held accountable and face penal action. Even though officials face difficult situations, they should not forget that those who crowd their offices are facing much more severe hardships. The officials are sitting in air-conditioned rooms while the expatriates stand in long queues in the hot sun. It is, therefore, clearly essential to extend the grace period for residency status correction. The Ministry of Labor should raise the issue to King Abdullah who is keen to ensure the comfort of both citizens and expatriates as well to protect their interests. An extension of the grace period would enable all expatriates to complete the necessary procedures for correcting their work and residency status in ease and comfort.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:11:29 +0000
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