Jeddah, Feb 15: The Ministry of the Interior has ordered provincial governorates to record the actual jobs held by expats in their iqamas, according to an official at the Ministry of Labor.
The order was issued to rectify violations committed by a number of expats when they work at jobs other than that mentioned on their residence permits, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor Abdullah Abu Ithnain said in a statement yesterday.
Labor regulations stipulate that an expat can accept only a job title specified in his or her iqama and labor card.
“We are currently striving to put in place a suitable plan for this task in coordination with the Interior Ministry,” Abu Ithnain said.
The authority responsible for correcting the job recorded in the iqama used to be the Labor Office, while the Passports Department only followed what the Labor Office recorded, a source at the Passports Department said.
The source added that his department is aware of many expats who need to correct the job titles recorded in their residence permit so that they can enjoy privileges attached to their real jobs such as visas for their families.
Welcoming the move, an official at a private expatriate service agency said he has been expecting an order like this for quite some time because of the sheer number of expats who want to change their job titles.
Abu Ithnain also said that Saudization committees would be transferred from the Labor Ministry to the offices of provincial governorates as per an order issued by Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif in December.
The Saudization committees are made up of representatives of provincial governorates, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, police and intelligence departments, the Passports Department and the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
One of the committee’s primary tasks is to inspect and monitor Saudization of jobs in public markets, vegetable shops and telecommunication shops.
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