I have been living in the Kingdom for the last two years and I always told my friends and family until recently that life here is peaceful. However, the recent labor crackdowns on expatriates have caused a great sense of insecurity and unease among expatriates. Every other expat is in a dilemma with regard to his future in the Kingdom.

When we come to the Kingdom, we do not know that staying in the Kingdom can be so challenging. Agents back home show us a rosy picture and even the companies that come for interviews do not brief us about the difficulties we may face. This Saudization policy is not a new issue. It has been going on for ages. After a year or two, the authorities become active and start cracking down on expat workers.

Being an expat in this country, I can understand the locals have the first right over nation’s resources. But do the authorities here need to remind us of this in an inhuman manner? We are working class people; we move here to support families back home. We try to earn a decent and honest living, putting a lot at stake. I may or may not be in a similar situation but I feel the pain for all expatriate here and I pray for their well-being. — Zeeshan Khan, Alkhobar