Toddler forced to become illegal in Nitaqat’s sway

Mohammed Shihab is a happy, healthy Indian infant who will turn one year old today. He is also illegal and has no birth certificate, even though his parents were legal residents in the Kingdom at the time of his birth.
When his father Abdul Naser Ambatingam returns home from his job in the evening, he loves to wrap his arms around his baby boy and see his smiling face. But lately, Ambatingam feels nervous and sad when he looks at his son. At times he even cries.
When Mohammed was born, his parents were holders of valid documents. Three days after the birth, those documents expired. To this day the father has been unable to obtain a birth certificate for his son.
The Ministry of Labor classified the company where Ambatingam worked at the time of his son’s birth in the Red category of the Nitaqat system, the Labor Ministry’s system to assess Saudization. The father was unable to renew his iqama (residence permit), like scores of other employees.
A year later, Ambatingam still has no iqama, even though he is working for the same employer. He and his family now live illegally in the Kingdom.
“One of the parents of my wife passed away, but we couldn’t travel to attend the funeral,” said Ambatingam. He can’t update the SIM card for his mobile phone, nor can he sell or buy a vehicle or open a bank account.
“Family and friends gave my son a nickname that seems to stick,” said Ambatingam. “They called him Nitaqat. When the boy hears Nitaqat, he turns around and looks expectantly.”
Saudi Arabian law says that both parents must hold valid iqamas and passports when they apply for the birth registration of a non-Saudi in the Kingdom. A notification of birth from the hospital has to be attached along with the form. Upon receipt, the Civil Affairs department of the Ministry of Interior will issue a provisional birth certificate that is valid for one year.
The permanent birth certificate is issued after a year, when all required medical vaccinations have been completed.