The Cabinet has recently instructed Ministry of Labor and Social Development to cooperate with the Ministry of Housing to unify the registered data of expatriates' residence and work information. Al-Sami Holding Group CEO Sami Al-Nuwaisir said the Cabinet decision will facilitate in organizing expatriates' affairs in the Kingdom, Al-Riyadh newspaper said. "The Cabinet has proposed to have expatriates' rental contract registered and documented in an e-portal called Ijar where the expatriates' work visa information is synced with the expatriates' rental contract. We will be able to have more documented information on expatriates that way," said Al-Nuwaisir. He added by implementing the Cabinet of Ministers' proposition the government will have an infrastructure for information on expatriates. "In turn, we will be able to run statistics and take better decisions regarding expatriates' laws and policies. The synchronization of work and residence information will regulate investments in expatriate's residence," said Al-Nuwaisir. He also said expatriates can also have their own districts in the city. "A more organized city will enhance security measures taken in the city and the growth of the city. The government can group unskilled workers in residence outside of the city's residential areas. The government will also be able to better organize the city's population density," said Al-Nuwaisir. Taif University›s Prof. Salim Bajajah said the Cabinet decision will facilitate the recognition and arrest of illegal expatriates. "The government can better plan the infrastructure of the city and better distribute expatriates in the city. The unorganized distribution of expatriates in the city has had a lot of negative ramifications that will be remedied with the implementation of the new instructions," said Bajajah. The Cabinet also called on the ministries of justice and housing to draw up the necessary conditions and requirements to be included in the contract so as to register with the Ijar electronic system. The electronic Ijar system, which came into force in 2014, was developed by the Ministry of Housing together with the ministries of commerce and interior. The Ministry of Housing made it mandatory for all real estate firms to join its electronic Ijar system that seeks to regulate the rental market with measures to protect the rights of landlords and tenants, and control rents. The system defines the rights of tenants and landlords by having both parties sign a rental agreement via Ijar network.
