Police forces in the public security wing will be involved in apprehending visa violators following the end of the grace period on Nov. 3.
This is the first time that public security officials have been assigned to handle the detection of visa violations by expats.
Security forces will ascertain whether professions stated on residency permits and the place of work match up. The Labor Ministry continues to suffer staff shortages and other logistical kinks.
These two vital responsibilities have also been assigned to the Ministry of Interior with amendments to Article 39 of the labor law.
Brig. Jaman Al-Ghamdi, assistant director-general of public security, is personally overseeing arrangements and operational plans to implement new rules after end of the amnesty.
Al-Ghamdi has visited prominent provinces to hold meetings with high-ranking police officials in the provinces to discuss strategies and mechanisms to nab violators.
Media reports quoted Al-Ghamdi saying that “police forces are fully equipped to check expat violations. We can crosscheck the profession stated on the card with the profession undertaken,” he said.
The Labor Ministry and Passport Department were previously unable to carry out full-scale inspections, though they routinely conducted random checks. The entry of the police force into the equation, however, has altered the scenario altogether.
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