Path to Iqama, citizenship easier for kids of Saudi moms

It’s possible now for the Saudi mother married to a non-Saudi to sponsor her children, according to the Passports Department.
She can now recruit her children along with their father from outside the Kingdom and the government will take care of their Iqama procedure expense.
The implementation of the new policy follows a Cabinet decree to reinterpret the regulations governing the marriage of non-Saudis to Saudi women.
"This would resolve many problems faced by the children and husbands of Saudi women,” Badr Al-Malik, a spokesman for the General Directorate of Passports, told Arab News.
All passport departments in the Kingdom began implementing the decree immediately.
Al-Malik invited all offspring of Saudi mothers to visit the nearest Passport Department to transfer their sponsorship to their mothers.
Al-Malik said that the transfer procedure of the non-Saudi husband would take only a few days.
The move was welcomed by Mofleh Al-Qahtani, president of National Human Rights Society.
Al-Qahtani said there is no official number of marriages between Saudi women non-Saudis.
"Solving the issues of the husbands and children of Saudi women is protecting their rights specially in education, health and transportation," he said.
He told Arab News that by regulations, children of Saudi mothers can apply for citizenship at the age of 18, but more procedures might be needed to give them citizenship earlier to unite the families.
The non-Saudi husband doesn’t have to work in a private company or so to get his sponsorship transferred, said Hazem Karam, an expert in the Saudi law.
"Children of Saudi mothers were given privileges in government universities long ago," Karam said.
He said that the daughter of a Saudi mother can obtain Saudi citizenship sooner if she marries a Saudi. But the son must apply to Ministry of Interior when marrying a Saudi woman. He also must stay long enough in Saudi Arabia.