ALKHOBAR: They dream of Saudi citizenship, but often find the reality to be different from their expectations.
For many longtime expatriate workers and families who often know no other home, Saudi citizenship seems like the bond to forge a lasting relationship with their chosen homeland. The perception is that once you become Saudi, doors open for you and you suddenly become well off. For hardworking entrepreneurs anxious to start businesses in the Kingdom, this may be true, but for the majority of expats-turned-Saudis, this turns out to be more in the realm of myth.
This conclusion was drawn on the basis of interviews with some of those expatriates who have become Saudis.
The case of foreign women wanting to become Saudis is totally different. Their quest is largely driven by fear. "What if my Saudi husband divorces me? I will have no option but to leave everything behind. My husband can deport me instantly."
So what are the benefits of becoming a Saudi national? First and foremost is that you are no longer at the mercy of your sponsor. He cannot threaten to deport you if you have a disagreement, and you can seek other employment if he treats you badly. You also put concerns about resident permits or iqamas, behind you.
"You are free of iqama troubles. That in itself is a big relief," says Abu Jameel, a Pakistani expat-turned-Saudi. "The other major advantage is the ability to own property, the ability to inherit, the ability to work without sponsorship and own your own company. You can also exit and enter Saudi Arabia without a visa."
According to a random survey, most would-be Saudis come from the Subcontinent and Arab countries.
"I don't see many men from First World countries desperate to become Saudis - even Muslim Westerners - unless they are married to Saudi women," said Umm Saad. "The majority of Saudi women married to foreigners try to spend most of their time abroad, as they cannot bear to witness their husbands and children treated so poorly. Most women who become Saudis do so simply to protect inheritance rights and the right to be with their children. If a husband dies when he is married to a foreign wife, his family can simply strip her of everything - even her children - and have her deported. These can be families who were formerly sweet and kind to her before their son or brother died."
For foreign women, becoming a Saudi is of the utmost importance. "Your husband can no longer threaten you with divorce and the withholding of your children once you are a Saudi," said Umm Saad. "However, a foreign government can no longer demand your release from an abusive spouse. Your husband can put a house in your name to protect you from abusive relatives in the case of his death. However, if he does die before you, note that you will only inherit a small widow's portion of his total estate. Women with sons can be in a stronger position than those with only daughters."
Becoming Saudi doesn't offer any distinct advantage to the children. "Children at school will forever harass her children and call them 'counterfeit Saudis' even if their mother does become Saudi," she said.
Take the case of Abu Abdullah. He never became a Saudi. He was married to a Saudi woman, and all his daughters married Saudis. So would he have had any advantage if he were given Saudi citizenship?
"In my case, becoming a Saudi would have meant much had I got the nationality early on. My three daughters would not have had to wait nearly 20 years to get Saudi nationality on the humiliating strength of their marriages to Saudis," Abu Abdullah said. "Living schizophrenic and dichotomized lives for such number of years, they must have suffered emotionally. My son, who is now 20, is still patiently waiting for his application for Saudi nationality on the strength of his mother's nationality, having applied on the day he reached 18."
Educational access or success is not ensured by a change of nationality, but it does have potential benefits, said Abu Abdullah. "For my children, the benefits are more emotional than material. All my children studied in private schools, and I paid for their education," he said. "My daughters had to study abroad for part of their undergraduate studies before they could be admitted into a university in Jeddah. Every one of them had 97.5 percent marks in their higher secondary certificates. However, after becoming Saudis, two of my daughters qualified for postgraduate Saudi government scholarships, and now one is a Ph.D. The other is an M.S. and should be finishing her Ph.D. this year. They achieved this being housewives and mothers. My son is studying law at a university in Jeddah, and he gets a stipend. He is waiting patiently for his nationality to apply for a government scholarship. This would be a definite advantage for him."
It is important to remember that there are more young Saudis than there are scholarships.
"Take the case of my sons. Both of them applied for scholarships, but they couldn't get one," said Abdul Rahman Abdul Hameed, who holds Saudi citizenship. "There is very tough competition for those scholarships. We will send them to universities abroad at our own expense. It is very, very expensive. Education is not cheap."
In the case of Abdul Hameed's family, he says Saudi citizenship so far has been a wash in terms of education. "My younger brother, who never became a Saudi, spends the same amount of money on his children. So there is no distinct advantage for me at the moment," Abdul Hameed said. "Maybe when my children come back after their studies, they will have a considerable advantage in the job market. Being Saudis will help them a lot. But for me, I have to shell out money like anything for their education. In that way, there is no difference between a Saudi and an expat."
Others see great advantages in becoming Saudi nationals. "You can enroll your children in any government school," said Umm Yaseen. "The standard of education is definitely not bad. As far as competition is concerned, there is competition everywhere. The most important thing is you can start your own business."
Most people involved in business know that planning and the wherewithal to carry out those plans are requirements for success anywhere - including Saudi Arabia. "You need a lot of cash. Something as simple as getting a commercial business registration takes thousands of riyals," said Hasan Abdullah. "People may think just becoming a Saudi is enough to start a business or own property. The problem is that both sides are unaware of the challenges the other faces. Saudis are unaware of the problems expatriates face, and expatriates are unaware of the difficulties that Saudis encounter in their day-to-day lives. Both have different sets of problems. Because expatriates have to endure iqama renewals and other such problems, they think becoming a Saudi solves them all. That is certainly not the case."
In some ways, being a Saudi has its own set of unique challenges - perhaps tougher than some expatriates face. "Getting a decent education for their children and setting up businesses for them or helping them land a job ... all demand huge resources," said Amin Mohammad, a Saudi of Syrian origin. "It's very, very tough. It is not as if once you become a Saudi you are given a tree that bears nothing but riyals."
