Cairo: Saudi Arabia has specified hefty penalties against the misuse of a temporary work visa linked to services offered during the annual Hajj pilgrimage season and Umrah or minor pilgrimage in line with recently approved rules.
Anyone found to have sold a temporary work visa for Hajj and Umrah services, or transferred it to others, or used it for anything other than its purpose, will be penalised, according to the new regulations.
A maximum fine of SR50,000, or a ban on entering competitions for temporary work related to Hajj and Umrah services will be imposed on the violator for up to five years, or both penalties, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported.
In all cases, the violator will have to pay equal to the earnings he/she obtained as a result of the infringement. The penalty would vary based on the number of violations.
Furthermore, an applicant for a temporary work visa for Hajj and Umrah services, whose registered address, data, or submitted documents prove incorrect, will be liable to a maximum fine of SR15,000.
The updated rules, moreover, stipulate that the applicant for a temporary work visa for Hajj and Umrah services must provide a financial guarantee of SR2,000 for each worker to cover the costs of returning him to his home country. The guarantee will be refunded upon receiving a proof of the worker’s departure from the kingdom within the specified period, or if the visa is cancelled.
According to the update, the holder of the temporary work visa can stay for 90 days from the date of entry in the kingdom.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has the right to extend the visa for 90 more days, and the holder must leave the kingdom before the end of this period.
The visa does not entitle its holder to perform Hajj in and around the Saudi holy city of Mecca. Nor can the temporary work visa for Hajj and Umrah services be converted into a temporary work visa for another purpose or for permanent work.
Earlier this month, the Saudi government approved organisational regulations for temporary labour visas.
The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources said the step would provide high flexibility to the private sector to make use of the temporary visas according to its needs and labour market requirements, making the job market more attractive.
The ministry noted that the updated regulations also heed the needs of institutions operating during the Umrah season that annually begins following the end of the Hajj season.
