JEDDAH, 6 September 2004 — The ban on transfer of visas has been put off for five months after Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi issued a circular on Saturday asking labor offices to accept applications for transfer of visas until Muharram 1, 1426 (Feb. 10, 2005), press reports said.
The minister, however, insisted that the jobs to which visas are transferred should not be those restricted to Saudis, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported quoting Al-Gosaibi’s order. Profession shown in the iqama should also conform to the job to which visa is transferred.
The ministry slapped a ban on transfer of visas earlier this year as part of its efforts to cut back on foreign labor and create more jobs for Saudis. Experts had suggested that a ban on visa transfers would stop illicit trading in visas.
The Al-Watan report also said that the ministry would continue to allow recruitment of foreign manpower required by small firms. The Labor Ministry had earlier banned small firms with fewer than 10 employees from hiring foreigners.
Many Saudi businessmen had complained that the ban on recruitment and transfer of visas would adversely affect their businesses and cause them heavy losses. Al-Jazirah daily quoted 10 leading contractors as saying that the Labor Ministry restrictions would make contractors bankrupt.
“Businessmen, especially contractors face a lot of problems these days... especially because of the arbitrary measures imposed by the Labor Ministry without any justification,” the contractors said in their complaint carried by the Arabic daily.
“At a time when the government opens opportunities to foreign investors, the national capital incurs damages and does not receive protection as a result of such measures,” the contractors said.
They said the labor offices were taking more than two months to study visa applications even for carrying out government contracts. “Sometimes the ministry rejected the applications saying the contractors’ offer was not enough to complete the work,” they added.
The Labor Ministry also makes contacts with other departments before taking a decision on visa applications, wasting time, the contractors complained. “Moreover, we get depressed when the ministry sanctions only 50 percent of our manpower needs,” they added.
They said the ministry’s actions had delayed implementation of government projects such as schools, hospitals and roads. “We also suffered because of withdrawals of contracts and confiscation of guarantee money,” Al-Jazirah quoted them as saying.
“What is happening now will serve neither the interests of the state and its citizens nor Saudization,” the contractors said and urged authorities to take corrective measures to end their suffering and save government projects.
The ministry had also halted transfer of visas for workers who do not possess university or technical college certificates.
The Labor Ministry recently took over the responsibility for transferring visas, which was previously held by the Passport Department.
