Legal expat workers eligible for GOSI

May 13, 2013

gosi

Riyadh, May 13: Expatriate workers can now become beneficiaries of the General Organization For Social Insurance (GOSI) under a new scheme introduced by the Ministry of Labor.

The announcement followed a meeting held late Saturday between the officials of the Labor Ministry and the representatives of various foreign missions at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh.

The Ministry of Labor had summoned all the heads of foreign missions and labor counselors of the embassies and their consulates to brief them of the latest labor regulations and the conditions of amnesty declared by the government on Friday.

Hosting the meeting on behalf of Labor Minister Adel Fakeih, his deputy minister, Moufarrej bin Saad Al-Hagbani, held a wide range of talks on labor issues with the foreign diplomats.

The deputy minister explained that the GOSI would register the names of the expatriates effective today if they were not registered earlier under the insurance scheme.

GOSI is compulsory for all Saudis and was previously optional for expatriates. However, until today, private companies could refuse to enroll their expat workers in GOSI. The new scheme allows expats to register for GOSI and their private employers cannot refuse them.

Sulaiman Al-Quwaiz, governor of GOSI, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the date on which a non-Saudi worker comes to Saudi Arabia, or the date on which his service is transferred to another employer, will be the date he is registered with the professional hazards division of GOSI. The records will appear from the first date of the month on which the change took place.

“But when a non-Saudi subscriber leaves the country for good, or when his services are transferred to another employer, his record will be frozen,” he said.

Al-Quwaiz said the subscriber starts earning the benefits effective immediately from his registration. Benefits include full medical coverage.

Meanwhile, foreign diplomats expressed concern over the limited grace period during which expats have to legalize their status. The grace period ends on July 3.

Envoys said the amnesty period is too short. They also wanted details on the mechanism of the implementation.

Saudi officials assured the envoys the ministries would work around the clock if necessary to expedite the process to meet the deadline, but ruled out any extension of the grace period, according to diplomats who attended the closed-door meeting.

Some diplomats asked for the designation of Saudi officials for specific issues in the passport and labor offices to speed up the process.

In cases in which departing candidates do not have their original passports, foreign diplomatic missions may issue travel documents that may be processed at the Passport offices so that they are free to travel, according to Saudi authorities.

Speaking about Nitaqat and the amnesty provided by the government, Al-Hagbani said illegal expatriates after the grace period would face a penalty of SR 100,000 and a jail term of two years.

“The whole idea of the program is to ensure a healthy work environment in the Kingdom free of illegal stayers,” the deputy minister said. He added the government wants to have quality workers. It is the wish of the government, he said, to ensure that every foreign worker is properly documented.

Pakistan Ambassador Muhammed Naeem Khan said the new provision for the GOSI insurance is a relief for foreign workers. He recalled a recent road accident, where some Pakistanis died and the sponsor could not pay compensation for the deceased workers. The new scheme would provide some relief to the relatives of the people who die in such circumstances.

Describing the meeting as excellent, deputy chief of the Indian Embassy Sibi George said the meeting was useful for all labor-exporting countries. “We were able to get the right advice on some of the problems that the missions were facing during the implementation of the program,” George said.

The diplomat said his mission was able to get 10,000 passports of its nationals ready with the help of the immigration department.

Bangladesh Ambassador Shahidul Islam said the envoys got an ideal platform to clarify a wide range of issues. He also took the opportunity to thank the Saudi leadership, which allowed the transfer of sponsorship of Bangladeshis. “It is great news for the community and the affected expatriates now can rectify their visa status without any problems,” he said.

Islam said his embassy in Riyadh and the consulate general in Jeddah will organize camps at various places around Saudi Arabia to provide emergency consular services to Bangladeshis. “We are taking consular services to their doorstep to help them benefit from the services without having to travel to the distant missions of their country,” he said.

Sri Lankan Labor Counselor Anura Muthumala said his mission has started the implementation of the program to beat the deadline before the end of the grace period. He said that his mission will have mobile consular services in places such as Dammam, Hail, Al-Qassim and Saqaka to reach out to his countrymen.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 31,2020

Mar 30: the UAE Cabinet approved a series of new initiatives, foremost among which was the automatic extension of residence permits expiring from March 1.

The residence visas would be extended for a renewable period of three months without any fees to ease the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis on residents, official news agency WAM reported.

The Cabinet has also waived the administrative fines associated with infractions on the services provided by the Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship, starting April 1 and lasting for a renewable period of three months.

The initiatives also entail granting a temporary license to use digital solutions for remotely notarising and completing judicial transactions.

Government services expiring from March 1 will also be extended from April 1 for a renewable period of three months. The decision applies to all federal government services, including documents, permits, licenses and commercial registers.

The UAE has introduced a slew of initiatives to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus, including the online renewal of driving licences and vehicle’s registration cards.

The country’s telecom regulator, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), also issued a directive that no mobile service with expired ID documents will be disconnected or suspended in the UAE.

The UAE has reported a total of 611 Covid-19 infections and five related deaths in the country.

A national sterilisation programme is underway that will continue until Saturday April 4, concluding on the morning of Sunday, April 5.

Carried out daily from 8pm until 6am the following morning, the programme will include the disinfection of private and public facilities.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 12,2020

Apr 12: Parents in Abu Dhabi affected by the Covid-19 situation can seek help from the authorities in paying off their children's school fees, it was announced on Sunday.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office took to Twitter to announce the reprieve. The Authority for Social Contribution - Ma'an and Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) "will support parents with children attending private schools in #AbuDhabi who are affected by the current economic challenges, by paying school fees or providing devices for distance learning".

The move is part of the 'Together We Are Good' programme which aims to support residents impacted by the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis in the country.

"Parents can call the toll-free helpline on 800-3088 or register their request at http://togetherwearegood.ae. The closing date for fee assistance applications is 23rd April 2020," the media office tweeted.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
May 17,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 17: Another 731 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UAE, pushing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 23,358, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Sunday.

Six more deaths from the novel coronavirus have been also confirmed, taking the country’s death toll to 220.

The ministry also announced the full recovery of 581 new cases after receiving the necessary treatment, taking that number up to 8,512 of total recovered patients.

New tests conducted

The latest coronavirus patients, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care, were identified after conducting more than 40,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, the ministry said.

It expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.