RIYADH, 30 December 2007 — The holiday season came and went with many expatriates in the Kingdom experiencing the perennial problem of obtaining family-visit visas for their loved ones. Getting the visa is easier for some, such as upper-income professionals, than for others.

Although an individual working in Saudi Arabia can obtain visit visas for family members, many say that what is permitted on paper doesn’t come easily, even for high-income professionals whose families aren’t likely to remain in the Kingdom beyond their visas’ expiration date.

Mahmud Abdulkadir, a 41-year-old accountant who has been living in the capital Riyadh for the past six years, has not been able to obtain a visit visa for his brother.

“Individuals that apply for these visas are limited because this privilege is only given to particular professions,” he said.

The rules for applying for visit visas or permanent residency visas for dependents are the same: a minimum income of SR3,000 a month, and, as Abdulkadir says, only certain professions qualify.

(Dependents of doctors have been recently granted the privilege of being able to obtain visas directly from the nearest Saudi mission in their countries; other qualifying professions still require the employee to help facilitate the issuance of these visas for their dependents through the Recruitment Office in Saudi Arabia.)

Proof of kinship, such as marriage or birth certificates, is also required.

Lawyer Muhammad Bjad pointed out that many foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are not fully aware of the requirements for these visas.

“Some might know that position and income are important qualifications for the family visa application process, but are all applicants informed (of these details)?” he said. The lawyer advised government officials to implement measures to educate employees and make it easier for them to get their visa questions answered.

The Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry’s website lists the requirements for family-visit visas, but some complain of the arbitrary nature of visa approval for those that do qualify.

Ken C. is a production manager at a major company in Saudi Arabia. He says he has experienced this problem when getting permission for a family visit for his sister. One time the visit was approved; another time it wasn’t.

“Her previous visit, under the same conditions, was approved by authorities, but this time her visa request was denied,” Ken said, adding that the reason for the denial was that the time of the visit coincided with the Haj — a rule that is not mentioned in the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s own list of requirements and exceptions for family visit visas.

Ken says that he suspects the permission to acquire a visa depends more on the whims of individual immigration officials rather than a strictly followed series of guidelines.

Another expat, who didn’t want his name or the name of his employer published, said that when he sought a visit visa for a sister, an official said sibling women must be at least 40 years of age if she comes without a mahram (a male relative). This, too, is not mentioned in the Foreign Affairs Ministry online family-visa guidelines.

Bjad, the lawyer, says that heavy regulation of these visas are important due to the propensity of overstayers, people who come to the Kingdom on a temporary visa but then remain to live and work illegally.

“This issue constitutes a major problem,” he said. “If issuing visas for people to visit is not firmly controlled then we would face even more overstayers. Many people are already using pilgrimages as a way to find jobs and live illegally in the Kingdom.”

Repeated attempts by Arab News to get a reaction from the Foreign Ministry went unanswered.