However, according to a mid-ranking officer at a Riyad Bank branch in Dammam, who refused to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, the money is indeed being refunded.

He, however, clarified that only those who had deposited the money for a family visa and had not brought in their family were getting the cash back.

“This SR2,000 was toward the family visa processing fee and once the expatriate has brought in his family there is no question of any refund,” he said.

However, some expatriates told Arab News they had gotten their money back even when they had brought in their family. “It was a deposit and not a processing fee and that is why we understand we got the money back,” they said.

The bank officer said since last week expatriates have been rushing to the bank’s various branches to inquire about their refunds.

“All sorts of people are turning up at the bank,” he said and explained the refund procedure. “It is simple. We ask for their iqama (residence visa) details and punch in the number in the MOI (Ministry of Interior) website to see if there is any refund against their name. If yes, then we ask them to fill a simple form and then we pay them immediately at the counter,” he said.

He said most of the expatriates have heard about the refunds from e-mails. There has been no official statement confirming this however.

Among those who got the money refunded was Mohammad Yaseen Aslam, an Alkhobar-based Pakistani expatriate from Sialkot.

“I heard about this from a friend of mine. I thought he was bluffing and instantly dismissed him,” he said. “Next day, just to call my friend’s bluff I went to the nearby branch of Riyad Bank. There I realized there were 20 people in the line, all wanting to know if the bank was refunding any money. They asked for our iqama details and then around seven of us were asked to stay back. We were then asked to fill out a form with our name and address and contact details. And then they paid us SR2,000.”

Aslam does not know what the refund is for. He says he brought his family to the Kingdom in 2002 and did not remember if he had paid SR2,000 as deposit for a family visa. “I don’t remember it exactly,” he added.

It is a fact, however, that an expatriate has to deposit SR2,000 before his family visa application is processed by the Isteqdam Department. This was not the case till the late 1990s.

Amjad Qureshi, also a Pakistani expatriate, said he checked up on the MOI website and saw he was eligible for a SR2,000 refund.

“I was told about it by my Saudi sponsor. He came in one day last week and asked me to collect my refund and then he explained the procedure to me. I have taken a printout from the website and I will visit the bank in a day or two to collect the money,” he said.

Qureshi produced a copy of the refund printout to Arab News.

The Riyad Bank officer advised expatriates to check their details on the website themselves and to visit the bank only if they find they are eligible for a refund.

An expatriate wanting to find out if he has made a deposit with the government and whether he is eligible for a refund needs to visit the Ministry of Interior’s website (www.moi.gov.sa). He can click on the “English” option if necessary before clicking on the “e-Services” button on the top of the page.

He must then go to the “MOI Diwan” section and click on “Public Query About Available Funds,” before submitting his iqama number. If he is eligible for a refund, he must take a printout of this information and visit his nearest Riyad Bank.