JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor on Tuesday denied abandoning the policy of according citizen’s privileges under the Nitaqat program to children of Saudi women from foreign husbands.

A news report by some local papers had earlier quoted a labor minister as saying that once a Saudi woman who is married to a foreigner dies, her children will no longer be considered as citizens in the Nitaqat program.

But in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Tuesday, the ministry said, "As long as the children live in the Kingdom, whether their mother is alive or deceased, they will continue to be within the Saudization ratios and will be allowed to work in the private sector.”

It noted that such policy has been in effect since it was approved three years ago under Council of Ministers Resolution No. (406) dated 12/27/1433 AH.

The resolution provided that the children of Saudi women married to non-Saudis are allowed to work for others in the private sector without the transfer of sponsorship, and they are treated as Saudis in terms of education and medical care.

A Ministry of Justice report in 2012 noted that there are 700,000 Saudi women who are married to non-Saudis, accounting for 10 percent of the overall population.

An Okaz report quoting Labor Ministry records say Yemenis ranked first among foreign men who married Saudi women, followed by Kuwaitis, Qataris, Syrians, Emiratis, Egyptians, Lebanese, and Pakistanis.