The report stating that Saudi Arabia’s foreign missions issued more than 1.7 million recruitment visas in 2013 despite the ongoing Nitaqat campaign has raised many questions. It has become clear that the Kingdom needs foreign workforce. I fail to understand the aim of this Nitaqat program that has only created problems for Saudis and expatriates.

The Labor Ministry appears to be acting on impulses. Every now and then it issues a new set of rules some of which contradict the previous ones. Instead of streamlining the Saudi labor market, the ministry is only creating unnecessary confusion.

One has to agree on the fact that Saudi Arabia is neither Bahrain nor Dubai. It is a huge country with unlimited natural resources and wealth. It is very commendable that the authorities are trying to address the rising unemployment issue among Saudis but this is not the way to tackle it. First of all, the authorities must study the main causes of sunemployment. It would be unfair to say that it is just because of the expatriates that the Saudis are unable to find jobs. The expatriates did not invade this country. Most of them have been recruited through proper channels. It seems that various ministries are not on the same page. Keeping in view the conditions in the Kingdom, the foreign missions should not issue work visas. This is a wrong practice. One has to admit that people booted out of the Kingdom during the crackdown against the “illegal” population should not be blamed. They entered the Kingdom on valid visas; it was only after arriving in the Kingdom that they realized that their actual sponsors had no jobs to offer. What else were they expected to do? I urge the government to look into the matter on an urgent basis.

Shahid Ghani