Cautious welcome to new guidelines on expat passports
The Labor Ministry issued a series of warnings to expatriates to keep their passports and other personal identification cards with them.
The move has been described as part of the ministry’s efforts to balance the demand and supply of foreign workforce, including the protection of workers’ rights.
A memo issued by the ministry states that workers under the sponsorship of certain contracting companies cannot continue providing their services if the firm fails to complete the projects agreed upon.
It also applies to firms that have had labor problems with its workers, including failure to issue residency permits, delayed payment of salaries for more than three months and other labor contract violations.
To make use of these expats, the MoL is permitting them to be transferred to a new company without the permission of their previous sponsor or company, but in many cases the ministry has had to budge because those companies retained the workers’ passports with them.
According to the ministry, withholding passports is now against the law and it does not guarantee that the employee will not run away.
Expatriates welcomed the new regulation, but they also question the readiness of Saudi companies to enact the system. They are espe- cially concerned about the issue since sponsors have the authority to issue or renew resident permits, reentry and exit visas.
“Legally, the passport is not a property of the expat workers, but rather a privilege guaranteeing a citizen to travel or pass safely freely to the national border and given entry to the host government with an entry visa” said Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator, John Monterona.
According to Monterona, withholding an expat’s passport is an illegal act as per international con- vention. “Even so, we welcome it, since no other than King Salman re-issued clearly his government policy against withholding passports. So we call on all companies and employers to respect and heed the new policy,” he stated.
It is a legal document validating that you are a citizen of a particular state and hence in case of need should be given lawful aid and protection by the host govt. And passport secures the national identity of one’s person if he or she is abroad, traveling or working.
“In fact just last week, my entry to Qatar at the border was denied because I was not able to show my original iqama being their basic policy before granting entry visa” an IT expert working in the Kingdom told Arab News, adding that his company had retained his passport.
He suggested that the Saudi authority should penalize any company that does not allow their staff to keep their basic credentials such as the passport and residential permit. Denial of such rights is tantamount to being detained in police headquarters, he said.