Update:Crackdowns of Expats Working in Saudi Arabia

 Written by: Anonymous in Saudi Arabia

This past month, Labor forces in Saudi Arabia have cracked down on illegal workers. Eyewitnesses have reported to the local newspapers various accounts of situations faced. Many Western expats do not discuss such issues, because of course, it is not affecting them firsthand. For some reason though, even though I am a "Westerner" it is deeply affecting me. To see human rights be diminished is down right sad and wrong. If anything, the least that I can do is make people aware of the reality that thousands of expats are dealing with-right here and right now.

Many expats entered Saudi Arabia on a visit visa or a work visa. Everyone has a story. Usually the salary here is higher than in their home country. Saudi employers may have helped them attain a legal visa to work, and others allowed them to work illegally. In many cases, things go wrong and the Sponsor decides not to pay workers on time, refuses to renew thier work visa/iqama, or holds their passport to prevent them from leaving. Some people living in Saudi Arabia feel that this does not happen. Again, those who feel this way are the ones from Western countries who do not even associate with those from Pakistan, Indian, Bangledesh, Sri Lanka, the Phillipines and many other neighboring countries. Shockingly, when these expats want to return to thier home country, they are not allowed. Can you imagine moving somewhere and feeling that you may not be allowed to leave when you need to?

In order to leave the country, the Sponsor/Employer must first apply for an exit visa or multiple-exit/re-entry visa. These visa’s cannot be applied for by the expat, only the employer. Thus, if the employer chooses not to apply for the Visa, then the worker cannot leave. Some expats visa's expired and employers chose not to renew it. The high fees kept the expat from renewing it and as a result, they were left here illegally. This is quite common and the foreigners continues to work or search for work elsewhere. If he finds work from another employer, he cannot legally be hired, unless the previous employer grants permission. Can you see the predicament that foreigners are put in? Entrapment. Yes, it sounds harsh-but especially to those who are living right now in Saudi Arabia and wondering what to do next.

During the week of April 20, 2013, I drove past the Phillipino Counsolate to see for myself if those expats were truly camping outside. I saw it with my own eyes - hundreds of Phillipino citizens were camping under blue tarps and some were lucky enough to be in tents. The heat has caused children to become ill, as these Phillipino nationals wait to be released to return back to their country. In fact, before last months "Raid", they asked to be repatriated back to the Phillipines. Many of them do not even have their passports due to their employers keeping them. Others do not have a valid iqama to legally work in Saudi Arabia. They want to go home and they are simply waiting to be allowed-all at the mercy of forces in Saudi Arabia.

On April 24, a similar story was posted from yet another media source. Sri Lankins are now gathered below a bridge in Jeddah...waiting to be returned to Sri Lanka. Lucky for them, Saudi Arabia has agreed to send them back, but only at 25 people per day. One can only imagine what it must feel like to have no control over where to stay or where to go. Read more about this situation here: http://www.emirates247.com/news/sri-lanka/saudi-arabia-grants-amnesty-for-thousands-of-sri-lankan-workers-2013-04-23-1.503772

This crackdown is now affecting the local economy. In Dammam, Saudi Arabia one such shop has been forced to increase the cost of their clothing. You can read more about it here: http://www.arabnews.com/news/448854  The Arab news quoted Shoua’ Al-Dheilan, Workshop Committee president, saying: “The price increase is the result of the campaign against laborers who were in violation of their status. This prompted the regular women workers to demand higher wages if the workshop owners wanted them to continue. This in turn increased the cost of a number of services.”

Again, it is disheartening to hear the newspaper dab foreign workers as being “in violation of their status.” They have no choice and now that they are being forced to fix their status, they are being denied. So, what is the solution? For some, the only solution is to return to their home country. For many, the question remains-how?

Additional Articles (to affirm that this is really happening) http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130421162259

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-29/middle-east-news/38124538_1_saudi-arabia-new-labour-policy-expatriates

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/34-expats-want-leave

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/07/saudi-expatriates-crackdown-idUSL5N0CU0N920130407

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/at-least-2m-expats-in-saudi-lose-jobs-report-495107.html

http://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/arabic/subjects/5/2013/3/31/28631.htm

http://workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com/

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130421162251

Interviews with Residents in Jeddah:

1.      Akhbar, who works in the car industry put in his resignation letter to his company-3 months ago! They have refused him to leave until he finds a replacement for his company.

2.      Ana, a Phillipino national comes to the Phillipino Counsolate daily. She continues to ask them to send her home. Her Visa/Iqama to work as a house maid expired and her sponsor refused to renew it. She has her passport, but no way of leaving, due to not being able to afford the financial fines accrued as being an “over-stayer.”

Say "Hi" to Dubai

When I began planning our family trip to Dubai, Iwas happy to learn of Passion Tours via Hello Travel (an online travel agent site). I knew nothing aboutattractions or appropriate activities for my 3 children, photographer husband and shop-o-holic me! Their recommendation meant a great deal to me and so after looking at several tourism companies, I chose Passion as a result of great communication, good price quotes and professionalism.

We stayed in Dubai for 4 nights and 3 days and were able to experience a dhow cruise, city tour and Desert Safari. All tours, as well as airport arrival, included pick-up (transfers) and drop-off. We did not have to arrange any transportation at all and I really appreciated that. We only took a taxi and the metro once, on the hours that we were not wrapped up in our tours. All vehicles were new and clean vans that fit our family comfortably.

I asked him to find a hotel near the Gold Souk and very close to the Metro station and he did. We stayed in the Flora Grand Hotel and the station was one block away! Breakfast was included in our package and we were pleased with it. The hotel was lovely and was very clean. The staff all spoke very good English and responded to our needs immediately. Our family of 5 all felt very comfortable there. We even took the Metro to the Mall. It was about 6 stops away, but it only cost 6.50 AED and kept us out of traffic!

Our first tour was the dhow cruise on Dubai Creek.We arrived around 7pm and enjoyed  a dinner buffet. The entertainment was good and we enjoyed seeing all the buildings at night as well as the other dhow boats cruising by.

The next day, we took a private city tour. Our tour guide spoke very good English and gave us a brief history of each place. He showed us: The Kings Palace, Atlantis, Burj Kalifa, and Gold Souk. At the end of our tour, we stayed at the Gold Souk and shopped our hearts away. It was so much fun as we were able to get very inexpensive souvenirs.

Later that afternoon, we were picked up for the Desert Safari. This by far was everyone’s favorite! The desert safari company was absolutely superb! The driver was very professional and drove on those sand dunes with such ease and enjoyment! The food at the desert camp was the best on our Dubai trip. My daughter and I had our hands painted with henna, my husband smoked the hubbly bubbly “shisha,” and our sons “sand boarded”down the sand dunes!

Our last day was filled with our own schedule. We stayed at the Dubai Mall and took the children to “Build-A-Bear Workshop” where they were able to make their own stuffed animals and purchase bear sized clothing for them! They also enjoyed the Aquarium and the huge candy store. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yum!) and then ended our evening at the mall’s movie theater. What a wonderful trip we had, and all thanks to the coordination of Kirin and his team at Passion Tourism. I recommend his company to anyone living in or near the Middle East and planning tot ravel to Dubai. Vacation should be stress-free, right?

Regards,

Andrea

Looking at the Burj Kalifa

Looking upon the Burj Kalifa

Desert Safari - Part 1- Quad Bike Riding!

Twisty building in Jumeriah

Peacocks outside the King's Quarters

Burj Al Arab

Traditional Dance performed on the dhow cruise

dhow Cruise at night

 

If you are looking for a great travel agent for the Dubai area, feel free to contact Passion Tourism who I highly recommend the team at Passion Tourism!

Dubai Office:Room no: 508, Star Line building, Rigga road, Deira
Dubai, U. A. E, Mobile no: 00971(0)567746650 (24Hrs assistance)
Head office:Room no: 2, Illikal Parambu, R.S.A.C Road, Vytila P.O
Cochin 19, Kerala, India, P.O Box no: 682019
Mobile no: 0091(0)9745 543 533 (24Hrs assistance)
sales@passiontourism.com

www.passiontourism.com

 

 

Raids in Saudi Arabia

A true test of social media took place this past week across Saudi Arabia. Many people heard stories of how foreigners were being deported due to illegally working or working for someone other than their original sponsor. It is true that many foreigners (also called expatriates) are working, although their visa says “not permitted to work.” However, companies and businesses in Saudi Arabia still recruit such “local hires.” It is simply cheaper because it prevents the company from having to provide visa’s and airline tickets, as well as accommodations for such employees. Some of the workers may be housewives, or may have formerly worked for another employer and found work elsewhere for better pay.

One reason for these recent raids is to ensure that Saudi citizens have jobs. According to http://riyadhbureau.com/blog/2013/1/saudi-unemployment-12-percent   the unemployment rate is more than 12.1% among Saudi’s. Saudization is a drive that has been occurring for the past few years, which has made it a law to employ Saudi citizens. These recent raids on schools, hospitals, shops and even cell phone companies is one way to ensure that businesses are following the rules.

Widespread panic and/or discussion via Facebook and twitter took place. Some people wondered if the panic was caused by rumors. They wondered if it was just a way for certain facebook groups to bring more traffic to their pages. I can tell you first hand, that these raids did take place and panic occurred. I interviewed several people who spoke of their experiences (all from Jeddah).

1.      Yousef explained how he received daily texts from his child’s school, saying that the school was closed due to electrical problems. Another parent with a child at another school received similar texts from his child’s school.

2.      Rania, a college instructor in Jeddah was told that classes were cancelled and not to come to work until further notified.

3.      Apartment “gaurds” also called “haris” were rounded up in Mohammed’s neighborhood. They were not paid and were taken to jail.

4.      Danya’s daughter went to school only to have her class combined with several others, because many of the teachers were afraid to come to work, due to fear of being taken and deported.

5.      As Zahid arrived to work, he was told to go home and work from home until further notice.

6.      Government employees were checking iqama’s at Saad’s workplace (cell phone business). This went on for hours, he said, until finally, they instructed the company to check their own worker’s iqama’s for legality.

7.      Janet noticed that the local bookstore has less employee’s working, compared to a normal Wednesday evening.
 

All interviewee’s named above, have now returned back to work. Things have since calmed down and many people’s fears are gone. However, many have not. Some are now more insecure about staying in Saudi Arabia. They feel unwanted. They feel that they have worked very hard to improve their company. According to a recent article in the Arab News, companies now have 2 months to get their papers and employees in order. The article can be found here: http://arabnews.com/news/447011 Many countries go through this process of cleansing the country of illegal workers. It is also a reality that employers are not abiding by the laws of their country (they are hiring these workers!) It is no doubt that change is occurring in the kingdom. It is my hope that foreigners will be protected and feel safe once again.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of those interviewed.

 

Another World, Another Place - The Truth About Life in Saudi Arabia

Each time I’ve traveled, I always try to tell myself this one fact that always rings true:This is not America. It helps me to deal with the change that is inevitable. However, it does not cover up the vast differences that are experienced. I have been living in Saudi Arabia for 9 months now-and I feel like this is an accomplishment of endurance, strength and willpower! Other Americans here have told me that if you can make it through one year, than you’ll be able to stay for many! Now, I understand that statement and I would encourage any new expats to make and reach the goal of staying one full year (at the least).

However, in order to“make it” or survive, there are a few things that need to be considered.

1.    The Culture-The cordial way to greet someone that you know is with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. In fact, yesterday, I saw two older men doing this back and forth and I heard about 8 kiss sounds!

2.    The Friendliness-It is very common to see two men or boys walking along and holding hands. It is an action of friendship and should not be confused with what this action would mean in the US.

3.    Men’s Clothing- There are many foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, therefore there is a wide variety to be seen. Many men wear loose fitting thobes, which is like a long white button up shirt, that goes to the ankle.

4.    Women’s Clothing- Women are required to wear an abaya. They can be purchased in the airport if you arrive without one. The average price for a simple abaya is around $40.Most are black, but they also come in navy, dark brown, gray and burgundy. I’ve even seen some nice denim abaya’s too. Some have lace, colored fabric added, and even jewels. The head scarf is not required to wear out in public, unless you are in Riyadh, which is a more conservative city. I like wearing the abaya. It keeps me from figuring out what to wear or iron. When on a compound, though, an abaya does not have to be worn.

5.    The Internet- Most things that you access in the US can be accessed in KSA. Facebook,YouTube and Twitter are widely used here.

6.    Shopping- No dressing rooms for women exist in any clothing stores-at all. Gap has a men’s dressing room, but they are not allowed to let women try on clothes in it. Many just buy their clothes, take it home and try it on and if it doesn’t fit-return it. The return/exchange policy is also different from store to store.

7.    Celebrations -Stores are not decorated for Christmas. Saudi National Day, Eid and Ramadan are the only national events/holidays that take place.

8.    Restrooms- Each toilet comes equipped with a water spraying hose (for your bottom). As a result, the floors get slippery! Some public places have toilet paper or tissue, other do not.

9.    Medication -You can get antibiotics, such as Zithromax and amoxil without a prescription. Pharmacies are plentiful in Jeddah and most of the pharmacists speak English.

10. Transportation- Wear your seat belt and hold on for dear life, if you are the passenger. Women aren’t allowed to get a driver’s license or drive in Saudi Arabia-ever. Their husband, father, brother, son or driver will drive them from place to place.

11. Opening Hours- Sometimes stores are open, sometimes they are not. It depends on the shop owners mood. The hours vary depending on prayer time. Luckily, there is an app for that. It's called  “Athan” and it tells you when  the prayer times are for each day. Right before and during prayer time, every store and eatery closes. The shades are pulled down over the windows and the doors are locked.  

12.  Prayer Times- 5 times a day you will hear a “call to prayer” which is in Arabic and spread from each speaker at each mosque. If you are outside anywhere during the call,you will hear it. Sometimes prayers from 3-4 mosque’s can be heard at one time and it sounds like a chorus.

13. Meat– Many places mix up lamb and beef and just call it meat. Lucily if you want to buy fresh beef, to cook on your own, you can go to Danube, Panda or Manuel and ask specifically for Brazilian Beef. Unfortunately, there is no Wal-Mart or Target here. You will be buying in kilo, not pounds. So, if you want a pound, ask for 1 kilo and that should be about right.

14. Tea - Even when its 100 degrees outside, hot tea will be served and enjoyed by many.

15.  Living Conditions- Life on a compound, apartment or villa each entail different experiences of living. Most apartments do not have a pool or communal area with washer dryer,etc… Many apartments do not come with cabinets in the kitchen and most do not have built in closets.

16. The Visa Process (before, during, after) is unlike any other country. It is extremely slow and leaves you feeling anxious. Things can go wrong in the process and things can go right. There are tons of blogs and website that offer visa and iqama (residence/work permit) advice and support.

Well, that is all I can think of now. Thanks for reading! -Andrea

Getting Yelled Out by a Stranger - An Encounter with the Religious Police

Picture from Arab NewsPaper in Saudi Arabia (www.arabnews.com)

I got yelled at…by the muttawa! The muttawa (also called haia) are commonly known as the religious police in Saudi Arabia. I have waited 9 months in anticipation for this to happen. I now feel inducted into society! I was sitting in the car, after going out to a local restaurant. Hubby was not yet in the drivers seat and I turned to see this white Jeep Cherokee type SUV pulling by slowly. We were parked and he was yelling something loud in Arabic. He was a guy of about 60 or 70, had his hair covered in a white scarf thing and had a long gangly beard. He was also wagging his finger. I didn’t even realize what was going on. I was just spectating and rolling my eyes at this crazy guy yelling at me. I mean, how often do you get yelled at, and out in public??! So, traffic kept moving and he was gone and then I told hubby what happened.

Then, it hit me-I had a muttawa encounter! The guy was most likely yelling at me to cover my head with a scarf (which I never do-because I don't have to). I told hubby, I think I just got yelled at by the muttawa! The car was almost long gone, but he was able to see it and verified that, yes, I had in fact had a muttawa encounter! How exciting-right!?? Well, that was the most exciting thing that did happen to me all day! And I’ll leave it at that.

In case you are wondering what the “Muttawa” are…..Well, they have a very important job in Saudi Arabia. Their job includes, but is not limited to the following:

1.   Telling women  to cover their head (even though it is not required by law)

2.   Ensuring that shop and store owners close during prayer time

3.   Monitoring product packaging, to keep them free from images of women in swimsuits (like having a woman sitting in a pool, on the package of a blow up pool or float)

4.   Browsing books and magazines to eliminate pictures of women that are “too 

      revealing” (example: a woman’s legs being revealed in a shaving or razor advertisement)

5.   Making sure that single men and single women are not socializing in public (it is against the law and people do go to jail for this) Often, I see the muttawa walking the malls. They have walked past me in 3 separate instances and not yelled or said anything to me in the mall.

Thanks for reading!

Andrea

 



The Most Interesting and Fun Theme Park in Jeddah

Al-Shallal is the name of this theme park in Jeddah. I call this the "best" one, because all three of my children l-o-v-e-d it! With children, it is hard to find something for everyone to enjoy-especially since the youngest is 5 and the oldest is 10. It reminds me of a miniature Disney World-sort of. It is across from the beach on Corniche street (between Thalia and Sari Streets). The trees, flowers and grass made this place so nice to be at!

This is the indoor skating rink. It is the largest one I have seen in Jeddah. It is the size of the ice skating rink at the Galleria in Houston, Texas. Also, I saw women skating in their abaya's. I believe they were teenagers, as mostly older children and teenagers were skating.Behind the ice is the indoor mall section. It has clothing stores, cosmetics, tea shops and even a fresh flower stand! There were also tons of candy stores and kiosks as well as various eateries such as Papa Johns, Chinese food and coffee shops! There is also a Chinese Museum that shows how silk is made. A lady showed us the actual cocoon of a silk worm!

Here are the boys gearing up for a go-kart race on the outdoor track!

This is one of the shops inside the mall section. I took a picture of this particular store because it reminds me of Valentine's Day!

This is a track with cars and it was free. There are 5 free rides here! The entry fee to Al-Shallal is 25 SR per person.

For 30 SR for 15 minutes, you can take a boat in this pretty little lake. This is a view from our boat as we look onto the restaurant that is in this picture. All 5 of us were allowed to go into the boat, even though they told us it was just for 4.

A private room at the restaurant on the lake. We didn't eat here, but we want to next time!

It's hard to believe that all of these pictures come from the same place, right? This is the go-kart track. Beside it are the swings and a dropping tower type of ride. Basically, you go to the ticket booth, buy a plastic card and load money onto it. You swipe your card for each "carnival" type of ride-most of them costing around 15 SR.

Here is another restaurant. The flowers are just so lovely! This was taken in January, which is Jeddah's "spring" type season as the temperature is around 85-90 F in the day and 70 in the evening!

The airplane kiddy ride (another free one!)

 

It has an outdoor waterfall!

Here is my daughter dressed in the "afro" wig that she bought. Behind her is the REAL roller coaster. It goes backwards, forwards and upside down! It is the largest roller coaster in the Middle East, by the way! Also, if you look carefully, you can see the tea-cup ride, like at Disney World!

 

 

To read more from others, follow the links:

http://travelblog.finddubaihotels.com/599/al-shallal-theme-park-in-jeddah/

 

Phone numbers for the park are listed here:

http://www.alshallal.com.sa/

 

Andrea's Taxi Adventure!

I took a taxi, all by myself- 3 times last week!  This was one way of me “feeling independent.” You see, it gets a bit annoying to have to depend on men to be able to go somewhere. Being that I am a woman, I am not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. Why? Well, its the law. There are no public transportation systems in place here either (no subway or metro busses) thus forcing me to take a taxi, hire a personal driver, or use the hubby. I do have a driver that takes me to and from work each day.  If I want to go somewhere to grab a bite to eat, I use a taxi. Thus...adventures always follow!

I don’t know why it took me 7 months to realize that I could travel in a taxi alone. Perhaps I didn’t trust a stranger or maybe it was that I didn’t trust that I could navigate myself around Jeddah.
Now, a simple taxi ride here, always transforms into an interesting story.

Earlier this week, I walked out of my office and waited for a taxi to drive up. I then asked the driver if he could take me to Hardees. He said “yes.” I said, “Do you know how to get there, because I don’t.” He said “yes, I know.” I then said, “Are you sure?” Of course he said that he did, so I got in and off we went! We drove and drove and drove and I saw no Hardees anywhere. I did not panic because this is his job to know where places are. He then picked up his cell phone and asked someone how to get to Hardee’s. Oh brother! He didn't know! Ten minutes later we arrived to Hardee’s. I was craving a Frisco burger, so this was my motivation in taking this particular taxi ride. I asked him to wait, so that he could take me back to my office. I made sure he was willing and asked if it would cost 15 SR-he agreed.  He waited, we returned and he triple charged me for the fare! Hubby taught me earlier this year that 15 riyals is the common price for one way. That’s about $ 4.00. So, when I handed the guy 15, he started shouting at me, “not 15….50.” Oh, one of us misheard the other, earlier, I guess.  Well, 50 riyals is $ 13.00. I told him that I had never paid that much for a taxi here and that since he got lost and lied, saying he knew where I wanted to go, that I would not pay that much for the ride. He got angrier and so I took out 10 more riyals, handed it to him and he yelled some more. I simply opened the door…and said “bye-bye, now.” Later, I learned that it is typical for taxi drivers to try to charge Americans more money. I was flabbergasted as to how this guy would overcharge me-but I did not let it ruin my day. Actually, I was happy to have a new story to write about!

-Andrea

More interesting Taxi Tales:

http://americanbedu.com/2009/02/26/men-and-taxis-in-saudi-arabia/ 

http://canadianinriyadh.blogspot.com/2009/03/saudi-taxi-driver-learns-lesson.html

http://www.hziegler.com/articles/list-taxi-travel.html

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120522124675

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/31/235333.html

Photo from: jeddahphoto.blogspot.com   More wonderful photos of Jeddah are here!