The deadline for private establishments in the red and yellow zones of the Nitaqat system to update the Iqamas (work permits) of their workers so that they reflect the correct position of the employee expired Wednesday. The deadline for these two categories will not be extended, Hattab Bin Saleh Al-Enaizi, official spokesman of the Ministry of Labor, has said. However, the spokesman said establishments in the excellent and green zones will be allowed to continue changing the Iqama status of their employees. These two categories, the spokesman said, are exempted from any specific timeframe because of their adherence to the Saudization program. Last week, private companies were warned that they would be fined for their failure to have the Iqamas of their workers updated before the expiry of the deadline. An official source at the Ministry of Labor was quoted by local media as saying that erring establishments would be fined between SR2,000 to SR5,000 for each worker.
