Saudi Arabia: Cost of Living in saudi arabia

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Employment contract in Saudi Arabia

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 1:39 PM Posted by Saudi Arabia

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Hi,

The most important document for any expatriate planning to work in Saudi Arabia is the job contract with his employer. Please be aware that this contract has to be in Arabic for it to be an official document. Usually, the contract is in both Arabia as well as English, but the text contained in Arabic is what is considered legally as final and binding .

In some cases, the employer will make you sign an English contract in your home country and follow it up with an Arabic contract as soon as you arrive in the kingdom. This could be a bit tricky, so please ensure that your sponsor is a reputed employer. Also, as I have been repeatedly stressing earlier too, do not go by any verbal assurances. There are scores of instances when people have been promised a salary back home and are paid far lower than what they where promised after they arrived in the kingdom . There is nothing which you can do about it in such cases, because your passport will be with your sponsor and you will not even be able to get out of the country without his knowledge. In short, you virtually become his slave. Of course, this is not to generalize all Saudi sponsors under the same category - there are good employers too and some of them even go out of their way to help their employees.

The contract for an expatriate worker in Saudi Arabia has to be necessarily for a fixed period of time. Make sure that your probation period mentioned in the contract does not exceed 90 days, as required by Saudi labor law. Please note that sick leave and the public holidays for Eid (just after Ramadan) and Hajj holidays are excluded

If you are looking for working in Saudi Arabia, you must be aware of your rights as a worker. The entire cost of bringing you from the home country, visa processing fees, renewal of work visa and the cost of air tickets back to the home country is the responsibility of the sponsor. Do not sign any contract in which you have to pay for these, because it is your sponsor's responsibility to bear these expenses.

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Salary Structure

Saturday, July 18, 2009 2:08 AM Posted by Saudi Arabia

A fundamental thing which a potential expatriate who wants a job in Saudi Arabia should know is the salary structure here. Please note that there are three different salary scales in almost all companies, depending on your nationality. The highest salaries are invariably for Saudi nationals. Next come citizens of the US, UK, South Africa, Australia and EU. The least salaries are for people from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines, collectively known here as "Eastern expatriates".

You may be quite surprised to learn that the job may be the same, but will find a guy from another nationality earning far less or far more than you. Also, you must be prepared, particularly if you are going to work in a government organization, that all higher level positions are invariably occupied by Saudi nationals. The only exception may be for the private sector, but here too the top boss will definitely be a Saudi national.

It is also quite common here that people with far lesser qualifications and experience may be your boss, but you should be mentally prepared for this too. Remember, as mentioned in my earlier post, if you are already in a senior position in your home country, you must definitely bargain your salary / position well and make things amply clear with your potential employer. Make sure to have all your emoluments / benefits in black and white in your contract, so that there is no heart-burn once you arrive in the kingdom.

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Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia

Saturday, July 11, 2009 1:58 AM Posted by Saudi Arabia

Living in saudi Arabia is not less then living in new york, life have very high standard here. food is quite cheap , dressing is normal, not too much facility for entertainment . for a normal person with simple habits KSA is a very good place to live life. mostly people come here for money, because saving is very high, you will find indian , philippines, egyptians, sudani, and many more countries people here, its very good land to raise your bank saving. now i will like to tell you about the social expencis of saudi arabia.

One of the issues a potential expatriate wanting to work in Saudi Arabia should know is the cost of living in the kingdom and the savings he would be making as an expatriate. This is a rather tough question to answer, because there are factors such as income, habits of individuals, etc., which also have a bearing on the total savings. Nevertheless, a rough idea is given here.

Bread is usually quite cheap, though recently the cost of rice has increased by about 20%. Fuel is also very affordable and is currently around SR0.47 a liter. The only worrying thing is the cost of housing, which is going up exponentially. Most western expatriates prefer to stay in housing compounds, as mentioned in an earlier post. Due to the limited number of such compounds, the rents have gone up tremendously. Most of the companies which used to bear the housing of such expats have now changed their policy to paying house rent allowances instead, to offload their burden

.

Eastern expatriates on the other hand, usually prefer to stay in apartments. A typical double room apartment for a family, which used to cost SR12000 a year now costs anywhere between SR15000 to SR18000 a year. For those who get housing allowances from their companies, this will put a big hole in their pocket. Expats living in apartments must enter into a contract with the house owners. Usually, the rent is payed in advance either once or twice a year depending on the agreement with the owner. For the period of the contract, the house owner cannot raise the rent. However, in case the expatriate wants to vacate the house and move to some other place, he has to pay the rent for the remaining part of the contract. Most house owners take advantage of this law and use it to their advantage for fleecing. In recent years, the rents have been going up at a mind-boggling rate. As this has a direct effect on the savings, most expats are now considering sending their families back home.

For potential expatriates planning to work in the kingdom, my advice would be to let the company take care of the housing. If this is not possible, then ask for a housing allowance which should not be linked to your basic salary (most companies pay 3 times the basic pay). After all, if you have the right skills and they need you, they would definitely pay you. If not, it's really not worth it.

i would like t

o mention that if your compeny provide you flat and food . its is also have high class food and flat, nothing to worry about that. you were never been feel sad about food or accmodation. but if your vegetarian then its gonna be little difficult for you, but managable. at last its amuslim countery you have to live with their rules. as far as a concern vegetarain's also have not much problem with food . just your will miss indian freedom.

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Some Question Related to Saudi arabia - FAQ

Question Related to Family

1 i am working in KSA and i have a valid IQAMA, can i bring my grand father on visit visa ?

It depends on the type of your visa. If you have your family with you in the kingdom, it becomes easier. If you are on a labor visa or any other non-supervisory profession mentioned in your iqama, you will not be able to sponsor anyone on visit visa. .
2 If a person is on a technician visa, does he have to produce his diploma at the time of applying for permanent family visa. ?What if the diploma/degree does not match the profession (assuming supervisory)mentioned on the Iqama. Does it matter?

You MUST get your qualification certificate attested by the Saudi Embassy in your country for processing permanent family visa. It DOES matter if the qualification does not match with the iqama profession and for sure it will get rejected at the embassy.
3 Is my wife eligible for bringing me to KSA, under family visa ?" If not, What will be the ideal visa for me to proceed ?

In case your wife's employer is offering her a family status, then you can join her as a dependent (permanent family visa). Note, however, that you cannot work in the kingdom and would have to stay at home. If this is okay with you, then ask your wife to accept the offer. The only other way is for you to get a job in the same city as which your wife is working. Of course, there would be separate sponsors for each of you. Think of all the consequences and possibilities before accepting any offer.
4 I have a family visa.My wife is now in India with an exit and re-entry visa. We are expecting a new born baby in India soon. If I want to bring the baby within 2-3 months of birth,is there any requirement of separate visa or we can bring without the visa and after reaching hear we can add him to the existing Ikama?
The baby will be given a visa on arrival at the airport. However, make sure that the baby has a separate passport, not attached with the mother.
5 I am working in Jeddah, when i want to renew my driving licence there is problem with the name of Iqama, before was no any problem. How i know that my name is not same in Jawazat office ? May i check through Internet ?

Please involve your company's Government Relations Officer. He should fill in a form (available in Passport office) and make corrections to the name in your iqama / system if there is any error. Do not try to do it yourself as they will not even entertain you..
6 How can I bring a servant from India?

You can only sponsor your family members, i.e., either your spouse or children. The definition of "family" does not even include one's parents or siblings. Hence, it is not possible to legally bring someone, even on a visit visa, as a domestic help. The housemaids you see may be doing part-time work or may be runaways from their original sponsors. .
7 What Saudi labour is doing if they found any unauthorised degree,I mean, what is action is to be taken according to labour law of Saudia Arabia, If person found a false attestation or the documents. ?

It is precisely for this reason that the Saudi Embassies all over the world require an attestation from the respective Human Resources Ministries or their equivalents to prove the genuineness of the documents. It becomes almost impossible to prove or disprove a certificate's authenticity .

otherwise. At a later date, if it is proved that a certificate is not genuine (which is going to be a herculean task), it becomes a criminal case. This is not covered under Labor Law, but will be handled by the police separately as a criminal offence. .

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Question Related To Visa

1 if i leave my job. is there any change that i was chaged for my visa fee and other expenxcess?

yes its quite possible .
2 My trade in visa is "kaarbaayi aam" actually i dont know what is this kaarbaayi aam ?can i bring my wife and childeran to here either permanently or on visit visa,is it possible??

"Khaarabaayi Aam" means a general electrician. You cannot bring your family in this profession. Please get it changed to some other supervisory title. If you are a diploma holder, try to get it changed as an electrical technician, which is eligible for family status.
3 I would like to initiate for my wife visa. I am working as an IT Manager and my profession mentioned is Computer Programmer. I want to know the cost for my wife's visa and who would pay that amount ?

if your contract offers family status, all the expenses in bringing your family into the kingdom has to be borne by your sponsor. .
4 My profession in iqama is programmer, and have family visa. My wife delivered in India, and the kid is 5 months now. Is it possible to bring him without visa? Read More

Yes, what you heard is right. Only make sure that your child has a separate passport..

Out Of line Questions

1 I heard about a "free visa" concept. What does it really mean? My wife works in saudi, some of her co-workers told her that they brought their spouses on "Free visa?What is the difference between the so called "Free visa" and other visas like, "visit visa".

As you may be aware, you need a Saudi citizen or company to be your sponsor for you to legally work in the kingdom. In the earlier days, this rule used to be a gold mine for Saudis to make a quick buck. Some Saudis used to apply to the Government for certain visas on letterhead companies. Once they obtained such visas, they used to illegally sell those visas at a very high premium to desparate expats wanting to enter the kingdom. Those expats, after arriving in the kingdom, used to change their professions after finding some otber job. Not any more. The government has put a halt to such a racket and has now made it mandatory not to transfer visas within a year after arrival. Indulging in such so-called "free" visas is illegal and is fraught with risks.:
2 I am offered a job working for an American Company but will be based on client sites, would that pose any problems?

Be vigilant about the contract you sign, because that is what is binding ultimately on both sides. Do not ever compromise on anything. There are a lot of western expats working here, but almost all of them invariably stay in secluded compounds. Working for an American company on a client site is not a problem and this type of arrangement is quite common here. .
3 I've have the choice of choosing between an AC Technician visa or a Decor Technician visa, however I'm a Pakistani with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the US. My degree is attested. Can my degree be utilized for this type of technical visa when I want to get the permanent residency visa issued for my family?

If you have an engineering degree, you might as well come here on an engineer visa, which has its own benefits. I would strongly advise you not to come on either of the visas you have mentioned, because you have a qualification which is better than these. .

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Professional Questions's

1 I am a General practitioner working in Nejran region since 3 years.I want to know about the possibility of transfer to a another city where schools are there & if possible, how can I proceed.?

There are several options. If you are working under MOH directly, you should look out for a mutual swapping from someone who wants to work in Nejran. The second option is to obtain permission from your sponsor to get a transfer to another city. Of course, the last way out is to get an NOC from your current sponsor (if he is willing to give one) and re-enter on a fresh visa. Otherwise, you have to wait for 1 year for re-entry.
2 My Iqama professional is General Electician so can i bring my family by Family resident visa?

No, you cannot bring your family as your job category is non-supervisory.
3 My profession in iqama is "TRANSLATOR" and I am holding a bachelor of arts in English Literature attested by saudi consulate. Can I bring my family?

Yes, by all means. You are a degree holder and should not have any problem in bringing your family..
4 The issue is that the profession on degree does not match to that of iqama (degree is engineering and iqama is technician). My question is only regarding when I go to SA and apply for family visa. Would there be a problem ? ?

No, you should not have a problem as technicians are allowed to bring their families. .
5 My profession on my Iqama is FANNI KAHARBAI is I am elegible to bring my family here either permanently or on visit visa ?

Unfortunately you cannot bring your family in this category. If you have a degree or a diploma, try to get your profession changed into some other supervisory category.
6 What i do for change my profession. in iqama

First get all your certificates attested by the Saudi Embassy in your home country and translated in Arabic. Next, through your sponsor, fill in the relevant form and submit all the documents for profession change, along with your original iqama. That's all
7 Mason or malaeyas can bring famly in Ksa ?

No.
8 My employer and agent told me that they will change my profession later and "mechanical drughtman" can bring family or by my degree certificate am I eligible to bring my family as per commitment by my employer?

Don't get fooled by verbal assurances. If your company can change the profession after landing in the kingdom, why cant they do it right now? The fact is that changing the profession is quite a lengthy and complicated procedure. You should not join this company unless they give you a visa which is eligible to bring your family. A draughtsman cannot sponsor his family. .
9 At present my profession is plumber and now I would like to change my profession to computer engineer, since the attestation get so old will the Jawazat office will accept these documents or should I need to re-attest these documents.Can I sponsor my mother after If I change my profession …?

There is no time limit. Once your papers are attested, it is done for life. So go ahead and get your profession changed right away.
10 I have a three years of diploma in computer science which is attested by the Saudi sansulate of my home country and re-attested by the forign affair of KSA Dammam.Will it enough to change my profession to computer technician.? Read More.....

Yes, this is adequate .

Some More Questions

1 I AM WORKING IN SAUDI AS A MECH-ENGINEER. BUT VISA Profession IS "WATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR" IS IT POSSIBLE TO BRING MY FAMILY TO HERE? ?

You cannot bring your family as long as the profession in your iqama is an "Operator". Since you are a diploma holder, try changing your iqama profession to any supervisory category. This should be done after getting your diploma attested by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi and the Saudi Embassy.
2 My friends want to bring his family on this profession "AMIL MAYMARI"...can you please let me know about that can he or not?

No, this profession is not eligible to bring his family.
3 My Visa is auto Electrician Am i allow to bring family in KSA?
You cannot bring your family in this category.
4 Manzil karbai , which i found out to be building electrician . is transferable =?
Your category is a building electrician. This is a transferable visa. Once you are transferred to another sponsor, it depends on him and the effort he puts on to change your profession into an engineer visa, to enable you to bring your family. Read my post on changing profession
5 "kaharbe mabanee" and on iqama it is "kaharbae" can bring family ?

Kaharbe mabanee" means literally "Electrical Civil". Rather, it would mean as a house electrician when roughly translated. Unfortunately, this title is not eligible to sponsor a family. .
6 Can i bring family with "operator " job title?
If the profession in your iqama is an "operator", you will not be entitled to bring your family, whatever be your salary. So, what matters is the visa profession, not your job title. Check with your prospective employer whether he is giving you a supervisory category visa, otherwise you can neither bring your family nor can change your profession after reaching here.
7 I was given a laborer visa. I have completed a 3 year Automotive Technician diploma. Will i be eligible to bring my family on a permanent residence visa here in KSA should i change my profession based on my qualification? ?
irrespective of your actual profession, if your iqama profession is a labour, you will be able to neither change your profession nor sponsor your family. In the earlier days, you could atleast change your profession, but for the past few months, the passport office is not encouraging such cases.
8 I want to know the minimun period of time after which I can come to KSA on another visa after getting NOC from the earlier sponsor(MOH)?

If you have an NOC from your earlier sponsor, you can re-enter immediately. If you do not have an NOC, you have to wait atleast one year.

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Exit Reentry Questions

1 I am on direct sponsorship of the school as you mentioned. I hope to sign a new contract with another school soon, so I don't mind paying for my ticket home but I just want to leave this school without any trouble. Contractually I can leave, but I can't guarantee they will give me the NOC. If they refuse, I've heard the old trick of leaving the passport in the washing machine and getting a new one, clean of any previous visa.
What you are going to do is illegal as per Saudi law. I hope you have not given your finger prints already (it is being made compulsory for all expatriates). Assuming that you have not given your finger prints and assuming that you do come back on a new passport, you will have to live a life like a fugitive. If ever your present employer comes to know that you are back and working with another employer, rest assured that you will be deported back by the next available flight (if you are lucky) or worse, you may simply be put in jail indefinitely. Do not even try this! .
2 My question is about NOC. Is there a validity period for NOC from the date of issue? I am planning to go on exit and come back on another visa in about 6 months. Since the new visa will take some time, should I take my NOC now or only when the visa is avalable?
There is no validity for an NOC. It is just a letter which says that your current employer has no objection to your working with someone else in the kingdom. For that matter, after one year, the NOC has no value because automatically you become eligible to work with anyone else. The one year period starts from the date of expiry of your iqama or the date of final departure, whichever is later of the two
3 Is it possible to reenter on a "visit visa" and work with a new company within the first year? I know some people who work here on a visit visa since their company doesn't sponsor people. Would it be illegal for me to work on a visit visa if i don't obtain a NOC?
Don't even think of trying it. If you are caught, you would be straightaway thrown into prison and should consider yourself lucky if you are deported!
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