I will present two pictures of the lives of two foreigners. Let's name them Muhammad and Hasan. Muhammad decided to leave to a country in the West to work. Hasan, on the other hand, chose to stay in the Middle East and work in Saudi Arabia. After the choice was made, the two went their separate ways. Muhammad arrived in the country of his choice where no distinction is made between a citizen and an expatriate working in that country. Although the pangs of leaving his home country for a host country initially caused him unease, Muhammad was eventually able to adapt to the new country and in the process became adept in the new system at his workplace. His contract was clear and simple and his rights and obligations were unambiguously outlined. The salary was clearly specified and he was offered a fair wage commensurate with his qualifications. Muhammad was granted medical insurance that stressed the dos and don'ts along with the limits of the cover. He was soon allowed to bring his family to join him without many hassles and was able to enroll his children in the schools of his choice. However, the best thing was that if and when he encountered trouble at his workplace, he could easily resort to the law and file a lawsuit in a court of law and even win the case if he had clear evidence of injustice perpetrated against him. Things only got better, and one of the best things Muhammad experienced in his host country was that his salary was always paid on time. If his employer for any plausible reason delayed his salary, then the company was held accountable and in some cases could be faced with a hefty fine. Another advantage that Muhammad enjoyed was that the country's constitution ensured that if and when he decided to change jobs, everything would be done according to rules and regulations that protect the rights of both the employer and employee. Moreover, if there was any disagreement between the two, then the case would be settled by a competent court in a professional manner. Another right enjoyed by Muhammad is that he can easily send his money abroad wherever he wanted to, albeit under the framework of the rules established by the authorities. Furthermore, he can invest his money freely in his adopted country if he wishes to do so. As everywhere, there are often many legal papers to deal with, and when Muhammad wants to renew or correct some of his paperwork, he finds himself splitting the fees with the company he works for, or better still, on some occasions, the company agrees to bear the entire responsibility. This is how I imagine Muhammad would be living in his adopted country. On the other hand, Hasan decided to come to Saudi Arabia to work in a private company owned by his Saudi sponsor. Upon arrival, Hasan was told by his sponsor to find a job elsewhere because the company was run on the principle of coverup so that the sponsor could bring as many workers as he wants. Hasan was not the only one in that boat, because there were other workers in the same company facing the same situation. Thinking that this might be the best for all concerned, he searched for another job and when he found one, the sponsor asked him for 20 percent of his earnings, or an agreed fixed amount. While Hasan encountered this difficulty upon arrival, he soon ran into another that could end up proving to be a big drain on his income. He does not have medical insurance and in the event he falls ill or needs to see a medical practitioner, he has to pay for all the expenses. The Saudi sponsor makes it a rule that he must be paid on time. If the amount is delayed for any reason or if Hasan cannot pay all of it, then he faces the risk of being reported to the authorities, or worse still, he faces deportation. Hasan, in his effort to make ends meet, gave serious thought to ending the vexing situation that he found himself in. He searched for another job to escape from his greedy sponsor. When he finally found another sponsor, he encountered even tougher demands and was asked to pay SR15,000 in order for both parties to agree to a transfer. Hasan cannot bring his family to Saudi Arabia because the type of visa he has been given does not entitle him to family status. This, despite the fact that he has a master's degree. Hasan, however, can transfer any amount back home to his country, even though those who do so are often criticized by the media and Saudi economists who say that such people are destroying the economy because they send their money home. Such critics have managed to bring about slight curbs to monetary transactions by making banks set an upper limit to a one-time transfer — unless it is the person's ESB (end of service benefit). However, Hasan and people like him are not allowed to invest in the country in any business. The story of Hassan is a worst-case scenario of what some, not all, expatriates are facing in Saudi Arabia. Expatriates in the Kingdom can now easily live Muhammad's life if they take advantage of the recent joint decision by the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Interior on Friday offering a waiver of fines and an exemption from penalties for all expatriates who violated the residency and labor regulations before April 6, 2013. This is their ticket to freedom from greedy Saudi sponsors as the decision will grant expatriate workers the freedom to transfer their residency permits without the permission of their original sponsor. Expatriates who were unjustly reported Huroob (runaway) or whose residency permits have expired can now correct their status. The only good thing about the recent Ministry of Labor campaign was that it opened the eyes of officials at that ministry and forced them to come up with these waivers, which for the first time favor expatriate workers. It is time that each expatriate in the Kingdom is able to live the life of Muhammad, instead of that of Hasan, but we must all work together to make it happen.
