Aside from financial losses, unemployment and penalties for carrying a false visa, they also fear getting arrested. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID
Amongst these are many Pakistani workers who migrated to Saudia Arabia to look for employment but are now victims of scams and rigid foreign worker laws, reported Express News correspondent Azam Khan. Out of 1470 workers employed by MAPA, a Turkish company in Saudia Arabia, 890 were Pakistanis. On their arrival to the kingdom, they were told that there was no longer any work for them and were asked to wait.
It was soon revealed that the employer had issued them false visas. To add to their misery, their passports are with MAPA making them unable to return home or seek work anywhere else.
According to the workers, neither the employer nor the embassies have been of sufficient help and have only offered false hope.
Having suffered financial loss, periods of unemployment and penalties for carrying a false visa, they are now unsure of what awaits them in the future. For many, the threat of being arrested is the most troubling, says Khan.
Labour reforms
Riyadh is pursuing sweeping labour reform that would tackle domestic unemployment by pushing firms to hire Saudi nationals - who now hold only about one in 10 private sector jobs - instead of some of its roughly 9 million foreign residents.
The disproportion of foreigners in jobs arises, some firms say, from the fact Saudis demand higher wages and are harder to sack than expatriates. Other firms, particularly those in fields involving manual labour, say they cannot attract Saudi workers.
Earlier this year the kingdom began to crack down on the many foreign workers who violated their visa terms with surprise inspections on streets and in company offices, followed in some cases by the deportation of offenders.
Saudi Arabia, whose total population is 28 million, has long turned a blind eye to the impact of its rigid foreign worker laws, resulting in a huge black market for expatriate labour.
Long lines
On Tuesday, thousands queued in blazing sunshine outside the main passport office in Riyadh to secure exit visas, with many people saying they had waited in line for more than 24 hours.
"I just want to go back to Nepal because my salary is no good - only 600 riyals ($160) a month. I came here yesterday afternoon, slept on the ground and didn't eat anything. But when I got to the front of the line they said my papers were incorrect," said Dinesh Kumar Sar, 25, a labourer.
Local media quoted the spokesperson for the Saudi passport office as saying 124,000 people had left the country since early April when the government announced a three-month grace period for illegal workers to rectify their status.
Economic impact
The economic impact of such a foreign exodus is not yet clear. Arab News said on Tuesday that roadworks in Riyadh had been delayed because of a foreign worker shortage. However, economists in the kingdom have previously said Saudi companies tend to overemploy due to the low cost of foreign labour.
The kingdom has large numbers of workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia, Yemen, Ethiopia and other Arab states, many of which benefit from high levels of remittances.
Saudi law says expatriates must work for a designated Saudi sponsor in the professional field registered on their residency permit, or iqama.
Expatriates brought in to work for Saudi companies often complain they are paid much less than was promised or are denied exit visas by sponsors who hold their passports. Many subsequently break the law to find work with a better employer.
Another common illegal practice is the so-called "free visa" system, under which a sponsor allows workers to find alternative employment but charges them a commission to renew their residence permit or seek an exit visa.
The Labour Ministry started cracking down on such practices after imposing rules last year to force companies to employ more Saudis, with fines and hiring restrictions imposed on firms that do not meet localisation quotas.
Local newspapers on Monday quoted the labour minister as saying the new rules had localised 600,000 jobs so far. In early April King Abdullah announced a three-month grace period for workers to rectify their residence status by changing their sponsor or profession without facing the usual penalties.
That period will end on July 3, when the Labour Ministry has said it will renew the crackdown. However, many have been unable to switch their sponsor to their current employer or to change their residence papers to show their current profession because doing so would put their company in breach of localisation rules. Others have reported that their sponsor demanded large sums of money to transfer sponsorship.
"We don't have any law to punish sponsors who are asking for money or commission. What we can do is to just warn expats not to pay," Arab News quoted Labour Ministry spokesperson Hattab al-Enizi as saying.
Many expatriates have just decided to return home. Officials have said if they leave within the grace period, they will be allowed to apply for another visa to work in the kingdom.
COMMENTS (28)
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Isn't there an 'hadis', "Pay the worker before his sweat dries"?
The companies involved in scamming Pakistani citizens should be sued and compensation should be demanded and paid to the workers involved.
@Raj - USA: Thats a fairly big claim, can you provide a link to your source?
I feel Americans are better than Arabs in terms of care!
The saudis will rub the palms of europeans and americans..they give them priority in everything..even if a Pakistani has better qualification, they will give priority to the westerners.
@Rashid Brain Drain? You don't have so much of Engineers or Doctors there, if you are talking about hard work then surely Pakistanis are hard-worker
@Syed Bilal: "Aren’t we supposed to help our Muslim brothers around the world who are oppressed? We are a powerful country."
Delusions of grandeur - eh? Your army has never won a single war it started. Even now it does not have the capacity to fight TTP. The only people your powerful army can control is your own civilians (Bengalis, Balochs) and your politicians (Bhutto, Nawaz, Akbar Bugti)
@Salman: Please excuse me. You are trying to encourage the people to make a better life in the West?
Isn't this the same place which your people call the land of the infidels?
Very nice, when it comes to lining your pockets you rush to the infidels but when your ideologies don't align with theirs you rush to blame them for all your problems at times even kill them. The most shameful part is that you go there and try to impose your Sharia Laws in their countries.
You have the philosophy. Use and Abuse their system. Very convenient indeed. You have no rights in your own country and then you expect the west to roll out the Red Carpet for you.
in western countries contaracts of foreigner go through labor department to make sure that they are paid standard salaries as their own citizens and no body is exploiting them
South Asian worker being exploited in the Middle East; that is unheard of (sarcasm). Ladies and gentelman I present you Nawaz Sharif's close buddies. I pray that are soon to be PM has enough common sence to distance himself from the Saudis. They exploit us abroad and at the same time they fund religious extremism in Pakistan. With friends like these who needs enemies.
Why do we blame them and accuse them in the name of religion? Aren't we supposed to help our Muslim brothers around the world who are oppressed? We are a powerful country. Why don't we go and play our part first and then accuse Saudis for their deeds? You say they are lazy people? Will any Pakistani who have been earning 50,000 rupees plus income all his life will do labor in the streets? Everyone with enough luxuries become a Lazy one day. Would you bear millions of Bangladeshis, Indonesians or anyone in your country earning and sending money to their countries while your own population doesn't have jobs?
@Mj: "The world will be a better place when Kingdom’s oil runs out."
The sad part is that Pakistan has sold several millions of acres of fertile agricultural land in Pakistan to Saudis and other Gulf countries. Saudis and others are given priority in supplies of water and power. They have fenced off these areas and even no Pakistani official of civilian can enter these areas without their permission. Saudis and Arabs grow their food crops and take it to their countries. Most of these fertile lands were given away on long-tem leases (I think 99 year lease) to Saudis and Gulf countries during Musharraf's rule. No one knows what price the Saudis and other Arabs paid for these lands.
@Umer: The word umma is nothing but political statement to exploit masses. My advice to people get education and look for work in the west where you'll be treated like humans and compensated fairly. Saudi Arabia is not that place.
The Kingdom was one of the last countries to outlaw slavery. It is no wonder that many of their attitudes and laws still reflect it's ignoble history.
Why Pakistanis are worried for their own countrymen coming back to their homeland. You should welcome them home. As far as Saudis are concerned they have all the right to act for their own interests.
@Unbelievable: Read the article again. Many people entering the kingdom legally are also subjected to discrimination and exploitation of all kinds. I grew up in KSA and the grievances of people are very real. The 'evil' west is 100 times better in its treatment of foreigners than the so-called brethren of 'Umma' from KSA.
@Ali tanoli: You are on the dot and totally correct. Saudis shall not take up the work of these poor workers, nor will they work for such a pittance.
These workers went there on work visas. They may also have paid the brokers to get them visas. As long as they have not gone to Saudi on a false passport, I think that they have not committed any crime. It is the companies that hired them and arranged them visas and importantly the Saudi government itself that issued them the visas that are responsible. Saudis should punish the companies and employers who arranged their work visas strictly. Additionally, Saudi government must also ensure that the deported workers are paid the salaries they were promised for the full period. If someone has entered the country illegally or overstayed their visa, they should be deported. Even illegals should be paid their salaries if they have been employed by some other employers. Saudi government should pay the workers and they can collect it from the employers of these workers. It would cost the Saudi government less the cost of one or two fighter jets. Asking someone to work for you and not paying him is cheating and steeling.
Turkish Are Getting Better and Better Scaming Poor Muslim Countries. From Fake Rental Power Plant to Fake Visas Now that's some Progress.
Saudi's obviously need the workers -- the issue is people entering the country illegally. Illegals should pack up their bags - go home - and try entering legally through the front door.
The world will be a better place when Kingdom's oil runs out.
Its a good step from Saudis, waiving penalties. The labours should have learned the lesson by now and return to their own country where no one dies of hunger , no power outages, everyone can afford shelter, abundance of peace all thanks to Abdullah Shah Ghazi, saving us from famine,drought,disasters and extreme anomalies since forever.
@Ali tanoli: It's true that Saudis and Arabs in general have a poor ethic compared to Pakistanis but I think that it only makes sense for them in the long run to hire their own people. After all, when the oil runs out and Saudia Arabia returns to being a barren dessert land, they will need to take care of themselves and their economy. It's good that the Saudis are looking to the future. When native Saudis start to work, they can evolve a better work ethic. We should all wish them well as they try to create a work force.
@Ali Tanoli
Look at the positives. Pakistan has suffered a lot from brain drain. Now these workers will come back and will contribute in the Pakistani economy by their talent and hard work.
@Umer: Why blame Saudis ? They are under no obligation to do anything for the "ummah". Why don't you blame your own politicians who steal all the money and then beg for more from foreign powers ? Which brings me to : did you vote in this election and if so, did you vote for change or are you another jiyala or NS lover ?
This is a farce to make more money for the Saudis who are now charging 8 to 10 times to allow people up legalize. The people being targeted are unskilled and poor holding jobs which Saudis are not interested in. They will go back or deported and then pay again to come back to these unscrupulous visa sellers. Just one of many ways to sell more visas. If Saudization was such great importance, they can stop issuing visas.
So much for being part of the Umma.
Lazy Saudis not gonna work the way our poor countries peoples does.
Huh, This Is THE Respect We Are Getting From The "Country" We're Seeking Out To Help Us In Resolving Our Financial Issues By Our Upcoming PM ... This Is So Sad ... :( :(