Here’s why Saudi families can’t get visas for Ugandan maids
Suspension of visas sparks widespread controversy
Abu Dhabi: The suspension of work visas issued to Saudi families to recruit housemaids from Uganda is due to a technical issue, local media reported.
The issue sparked widespread controversy, especially among visa applicants, and sources revealed transactions stoped being received two weeks ago.
Al Watan newspaper learned from informed sources at the Saudi embassy in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that the reason for stopping the recruitment of workers is “temporary” due to a technical glitch in the electronic visa issuance system from April 19, explaining that it is currently working to fix the issue.
Work on issuing visas will be resumed when the technical malfunction is fixed and the system returns to normal as soon as possible, sources said.
The sources demanded members of the public get news from their sources, noting that the Saudi embassy in Uganda is concerned with clarifying the reasons, away from any false expectations.
In 2019, Uganda’s government temporarily suspended the printing of Ugandan passports, as the country was introducing changes to the travel document.
The Ugandan government then instructed the Saudi embassy in Kampala not to stamp entry visas on the old passports or deliver the passports that were already stamped to their holders.
Saudi Arabia launched a smartphone app to facilitate the recruitment of housemaids from abroad in early 2017.
The Saudi recruitment offices started to bring housemaids from East-Central Africa country in January 2018. The monthly wage was fixed at SR850 and recruitment cost at SR7,500.