Most of them are calling for family visas to be linked with an expatriate’s salary rather than his profession, pointing out that a large number of expatriates work in the Kingdom on low-category work visas but earn enough to take care of their families.
Both the Arabic and English media have recently highlighted how the current system of refusing permanent family visas to “high-earning expatriates on low-category visas” has crushed the hopes and dreams of many happily married foreign nationals.
Expatriates on low-category work visas are barred from bringing their families into the Kingdom on permanent resident visas. They are only issued to professionals such as engineers, doctors and executives.
There are hundreds of expatriates working in the Kingdom's private sector in high-end jobs who have been designated by their employers as laborers to avoid penalties from the Labor Office for not meeting Saudization targets.
In a letter to Arab News, Sheikh Ameer Ali has requested the government to look sympathetically into the issue and to link the family visa with salaries rather than job categories.
“We are respectable people and have come to Saudi Arabia to take part in its development. Our joy will know no bounds if we are allowed to bring in our families,” he said.
“We don’t want to be parasites. What we are requesting is that those who are earning enough may be allowed to bring in their families.”
Another expatriate, Muhammad Haroon, narrated the difficulty faced in getting permanent visas for his family members.
“I have worked in Saudi Arabia before for six years. I had family here, and one of my children was born here. For some reason, I had to quit my job and go on a final exit. I came back recently on a different work visa and in a different job. This time when I applied for permanent family visas, my request was politely rejected. ‘Go, change your profession and then come back to us,’ said officials at the istiqdam office. I did produce a copy of my previous iqama with the names of my family members therein and even the birth certificate of the baby that was born here in Saudi Arabia. No luck, unfortunately.”
Expatriate Mohammed Ali said: “We have heard of the magnanimity of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. We request him to intervene and to do away with this rather difficult rule.”
According to expatriate Javed Zahid, more families of expatriates in Saudi Arabia only means more money will be spent here rather than remitted abroad. “It will be good for this market,” he pointed out.
Zahid said expatriates were not a burden on the government.
“They are earning their money through hard work, and if their families are here they will make even greater efforts in their jobs to earn a decent living.”
Indian expatriate Mohsin Raza had an interesting point of view.
“Our families are not coming here to take up jobs. There is this perception among a certain section of the population here that more expatriate families here will mean fewer jobs for Saudis. Or that their children will take away all the educational facilities in the country. This is not true. Our children can never be a burden on Saudi schools. All communities have their own schools and children of expat families enroll there.”
