JEDDAH — The restructured visa fee for expats, pilgrims and tourists announced on Monday became a hot topic internationally and has sparked a lot of conversations among residents here. Many expats who spoke to Saudi Gazette applauded the visa fee revision that allows the first entry of Haj and Umrah pilgrims to be free. "I know Haj is supposed to be done once in lifetime. So the fee for second pilgrimage makes room for those who have not performed Haj," said Saud Ibrahim, a travel manager in Jeddah. "We are working toward a strong economy and this move helps strengthen the country. We welcome the move especially when the country has given expats so much more be it subsidized gas or means for a better standard of living," said Shaji N. Siddiqui, General Manager at Golden Travels in Jeddah. For large expat families who have children studying or living abroad the revision has thrown up challenges. "I have three kids studying in India. I used to pay SR200 for each, because they came once a year but now for their exit re-entry I have to pay an additional SR1,100. They come during their summer vacation and that is the only time I can even afford to bring them here. Now from SR600 I am going to have to pay SR 3,300 if they are to stay on my iqama (residence permit). If I can't afford to keep up, I think I will have to give up their iqama," said Syed AbdulRahman, a salesman in Jeddah. As for multiple trips, the exit re-entry fee will be SR 500 for three months. SR 200 will be charged for each additional month till the validity of residence permit. The change in structure also included a new SR300 transit fee for passengers traveling through Saudi Arabia. "For those of us coming from the US or Canada, we were saving money on routes using stop overs in Saudi Arabia, to go back home. But now my family of five will be paying SR1,500 just for transit. I think the ticket prices might go up," said Jihan Ahsan, an overseas student living in Canada. Businessmen are worried about the additional cost the increase may incur for expat workers. "It will add cost per employee. I mean SR100 extra if they want to extend their stay. None of the employees here feel it much because the companies are responsible for their travel costs," said Fahim Ansari, a Saudi businessman in Al-Khobar.
