By Abdulrahman Al-Misbahi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The headquarters of the Premium Residency (Special Privilege Iqama) will be under the Ministry of Interior. However, organizationally, the Center will be under the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), with the possibility of setting up branches or offices for the Center, if needed. The legal procedures for the Center will be completed within a period not exceeding 12 months, Okaz has learned from informed sources.

A Supervisory Committee will be established for the Center to be presided over by the Minister of Interior with seven other ministers as members, and representing the ministries of economy and planning, finance, commerce and investment, foreign affairs, labor and social development, media, and Haj and Umrah, in addition to two members to be named according to a decision by the Council of Ministers, upon the recommendation of CEDA.

The Supervisory Committee will supervise the administration and running of the Center, and take all the necessary decisions for the Center to achieve its goals.

Its most prominent functions include approval of the Center’s general policies and the necessary plans and programs for implementing them, approval for setting up branches or offices for the Center, studying the reports on the Center’s progress of work; approval of the Center’s draft budget, its final account and annual report, issuing approval to accept donations, gifts, grants, and endowments presented to the Center, appointing an external auditor and an internal auditor, approval to conclude contracts and agreements, and specify the fees for services and work provided by the Center. It is the committee that will decide which services and work require fees.

The Center will carry out four main functions related to organizing and administering all that is related to the Premium Residency. These include suggesting the regulations relevant to the Premium Residency, amending those in force, and referring these for completing the necessary regulatory procedures, receiving applications for the Premium Residency, studying them, and seeing the eligibility of applicants and if the applications deserve approval, in line with the regulatory rules related to the Center’s field of work, suggesting what it sees appropriate, in preparation for referring them to CEDA.

The Center will appoint a CEO in line with a decision by CEDA. Among the many functions of the CEO, is representing the Center before the judiciary, government authorities and other pertinent bodies.