With the deadline for legalization fast approaching, thousands of expatriates have been visiting labor offices across the country. Around 1,400 to 1,500 applicants have been visiting Jeddah’s Labor Office daily during the past month. Abd Al Mon’im Al-Shahri, director of the Jeddah Labor Office, told Arab News that applicant numbers are steadily increasing. He also said that there is a 90-percent success rate in legalization. Some have failed to rectify their status owing to incomplete paperwork. He said many applications have been processed electronically on the Ministry of Labor’s portal. The Saudi Ministry of Labor has opened another branch in north Jeddah and in Makkah Industrial City for establishment owners and workers to rectify their status. Abdullah Al-Ulayyan, director of the Ministry of Labor’s Makkah branch, said that the main labor offices Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, and Qunfuthah, as well as branch offices, have extended working hours at labor offices until 6 p.m. in order to accommodate as many applicants as possible and to relieve pressure on the main labor offices, which are expected to be overwhelmed during the days leading to the deadline. “I want to stress that applicants can submit their requests and applications through the ministry’s portal at mol.gov.sa, which will make it easier for businesses and their representatives to process the papers in time for the deadline,” he said. Ulayyan said ministry employees are serving applicants in the north Jeddah branch, which lies opposite the Exhibition Center on Amir Sultan Street in the Al-Nuzha district. The Madinah Passports Department is equally busy with over 1,000 expatriate workers visiting the office daily to legalize their job status. Lt. Hisham Al-Raddadi, spokesman for the Madinah Passport Department, has called on all labor law violators to take advantage of the remaining amnesty time, which ends on Nov. 3. Speaking with Arab News, Al-Raddadi said a large number of violators of labor and residency laws have been coming to the office since the beginning of this month and that the pace of work has picked up with over 1,000 applicants completing paperwork daily. He said the number of officials has doubled from 50 to 100 at the old passport building to handle the vast volume of paperwork. “We are working at full capacity to handle the pressure,” Al-Raddadi, said, adding that another team of officials works in the evening to complete paperwork and documents received during the day. He denied that employees left their counters at noon and called on citizens and expats to take advantage of the remaining time and office work hours to complete their paperwork. Ahmad Al-Amari, a Saudi citizen, said that his paperwork has been stalled for a month because of stamping issues in Riyadh. “There is no time for me to go to Riyadh from Madinah and back. The amnesty period will end before I am able to complete my paperwork,” he said. Nizar Shira, owner of a services office that handles such paperwork, said he has about 40 passports in his possession that cannot be processed because of a shortage of residency cards at the Madinah Passport Department. Another citizen, Zain Al-Harbi, demanded that citizens and individuals be given priority in offices to complete the paperwork. “The procedures are too complicated and individuals often have to move between buildings several times to get their work done. The transaction requires transferring sponsorship, amending the profession and typing out these changes all in one go,” he said.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 13:59:40 +0000
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