Saudi Gazette report MADINAH — An average of 2,000 applications from expatriates who wish to correct their employment status are being processed daily at Madinah Labor Office, according its director Awad Al-Hazmi. Al-Hazmi called upon expatriate workers to take full advantage of the extended grace period and of the facilities provided by the labor and passport authorities. On a tour of the office, it was noticed that most of the people standing in lines looked relaxed because the large crowds of past weeks had disappeared and everyone could get his paperwork completed and processed on time. When the reporter asked him about the extended grace period, Tariq Abu Ouf, a Saudi who was standing in the line, said: “Everyone including employers can now get the papers of their expatriate employees done without problems.” Ouf spent the last few weeks going back and forth between the passport department and the labor offices, but “now things are smooth.” Ghazi Al-Ahmadi, a business owner, advised anyone who comes to the office to make sure he brings all necessary documents with him so that officials can process his papers quickly. Abdullah Al-Tunsi lauded the cooperation and services of the officials in the office. There are 15 officials at the Madinah Labor Office. Adnan Al-Haidary, another Saudi, called upon the director of the Labor Office in Madinah to instruct officials to be more flexible with service seekers. He also said increasing coordination between the office and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) because some documents take the office a long time to process due to lack of coordination. Al-Hazmi said sometimes officials at the office cannot complete a company's documents because the Saudi owner of the business failed to upgrade the category of his business in the Nitaqat program. Al-Hazmi said his office is working on enhancing coordination with GOSI. “Any business that wants to benefit from the office's services and the extended grace period should meet the requirements of Saudization,” he stressed. Without meeting this condition, the office will not allow any business to transfer the sponsorship of an expatriate worker, he added.
