Faiz Al-Najdi

Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Embassy of Pakistan is planning to organize another series of job fairs during Ramadan in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Qassim.



“We are hosting a job fair on Thursday at Pakistan International School at Nasiriyah in Riyadh, which will be followed with another job fair on July 25 and 26 at Pakistan International School in Al-Khobar," said Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan.



He added that these job fairs would take place between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. in view of Ramadan.



Khan said the schedule for the job fair in Qassim would be announced later.



The ambassador said the job fairs were being organized to lend support to Pakistani nationals wishing to rectify their residency and employment status in the Kingdom during the extended grace period.



Khan said four categories of workers would have a good chance to benefit from the fairs. They include workers whose sponsors are in red or yellow zones of the Nitaqat program. These workers can change jobs without the prior permission of their original sponsors, he said.



The second category is people who entered the Kingdom  on Umrah, Haj and visit visas before July 3, 2008, but overstayed their visas. These people can now take up jobs under legal sponsors.



Thirdly, workers who were put on huroob (fugitive status) by their sponsors before April 6, 2013, can take up jobs legally without the permission of their sponsors.



Finally, workers under the sponsorship of any employer irrespective of the Nitaqat category who failed to issue them iqamas (resident permits) or renew them can get their sponsorship transferred to another sponsor without the permission of their original sponsor.



Khan said people who had come to the Kingdom after July 3, 2008, and overstayed their visas must leave the country before the expiry of the amnesty period or face penalties.



Khan appealed to all Pakistani workers who had not yet benefited from the second phase of the amnesty period to register with the embassy immediately and get their status regularized.



“The embassy will extend all help possible in this regard,” he said. He also advised them "not to take things easy as this is a golden opportunity for them to make their stay legal" in Saudi Arabia.



“This extension is a Ramadan gift from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and everybody should try and make every effort to benefit from this,” he added.