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Showing posts with label Vision 2030. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vision 2030. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Saudi Airlines Flight from KSA Crash Lands at Jeddah Airport!

A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, which took off from Madinah on its way to Dhaka, had to be diverted to Jeddah after suffering a malfunction with the nose landing gear. The plane apparently suffered technical issues during the early stages of the flight

Flight SV3818, utilizing an Airbus A330-200 plane that is said to be leased from Onur Air, made an emergency landing at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport with the nose gear retracted.
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The aircraft had circled Jeddah for several hours and was forced to make two low passes until it was allowed to land on runway 34R at around 22:00 local time. The flight path showing the plane circling the air can also be seen in a video below. The Airbus 330 suffered considerable damage, but passengers were evacuated via emergency slides and no injuries have been reported so far.




The spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Tayeb, explained that the flight took off from Medinah at 8pm local time on Monday night. It was headed for Dhaka Airport in Bangladesh. He said that during the first hour of the flight, a defect was detected in the aircraft’s hydraulic system and the pilots made the decision to divert the plane to Jeddah.

“When the landing attempt was made, the front wheels could not be lowered,” al-Tayeb told the local media.

 “After several attempts, they decided to land without taking down the front wheels after taking all necessary precautions. The plane landed safely and the 141 guests took off the plane with the 10 crew members.”
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Thursday, April 05, 2018

Are You Ready To Watch Cinema in Saudi Arabia? Watch Out in Riyadh on April 18


Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia will be having a good chance to watch movies on the big screens as the Kingdom schedules the opening of first cinema in the country on April 18 after 35 years.

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Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia will be having a good chance to watch movies on the big screens as the Kingdom schedules the opening of first cinema in the country on April 18 after 35 years. Particularly the first cinema will open in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh and a source told Reuters that it will not require men and women to sit separately. This is only a start because around 40 cinemas will be opened in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia in the next five years under the agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and AMC. Base on the target, 100 cinemas will be opened across the country by 2030. However, questions about what kinds of films will be shown in the new cinemas are not certain as of the press time. December 2017 when the Saudi government lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas. Saudi Arabia imposed a complete ban on cinemas in the early 1980s. Millions of people in the kingdom already have digital access to films through online-streaming services such as Netflix.
Particularly the first cinema will open in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh and a source told Reuters that it will not require men and women to sit separately.

This is only a start because around 40 cinemas will be opened in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia in the next five years under the agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and AMC.

Read: Some Women in Saudi Arabia Are Now Learning To Drive
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AMC has the largest share of the American theater market ahead of Regal Cinema and Cinemark Theaters.

Base on the target, 350 cinemas  or 2,500 screens will be opened across the country by 2030. 
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia will be having a good chance to watch movies on the big screens as the Kingdom schedules the opening of first cinema in the country on April 18 after 35 years. Particularly the first cinema will open in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh and a source told Reuters that it will not require men and women to sit separately. This is only a start because around 40 cinemas will be opened in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia in the next five years under the agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and AMC. Base on the target, 100 cinemas will be opened across the country by 2030. However, questions about what kinds of films will be shown in the new cinemas are not certain as of the press time. December 2017 when the Saudi government lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas. Saudi Arabia imposed a complete ban on cinemas in the early 1980s. Millions of people in the kingdom already have digital access to films through online-streaming services such as Netflix.
(Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awad bin Saleh Al-Awad and AMC CEO Adam Aron) Photo via Arab News

However, questions about what kinds of films will be shown in the new cinemas are not certain as of the press time.



December 2017 when the Saudi government lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas. Saudi Arabia imposed a complete ban on cinemas in the early 1980s. 


Millions of people in the kingdom already have digital access to films through online-streaming services such as Netflix.

 Read: Expats in Saudi Be Careful Especially Those Driving and With Cars
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia will be having a good chance to watch movies on the big screens as the Kingdom schedules the opening of first cinema in the country on April 18 after 35 years. Particularly the first cinema will open in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh and a source told Reuters that it will not require men and women to sit separately. This is only a start because around 40 cinemas will be opened in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia in the next five years under the agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and AMC. Base on the target, 100 cinemas will be opened across the country by 2030. However, questions about what kinds of films will be shown in the new cinemas are not certain as of the press time. December 2017 when the Saudi government lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas. Saudi Arabia imposed a complete ban on cinemas in the early 1980s. Millions of people in the kingdom already have digital access to films through online-streaming services such as Netflix.
The re-opening of cinemas in Saudi Arabia is part of Vision 2030 with a goal to improve the quality of life by providing additional leisure opportunities.

Aside from this, it is reported that the opening of cinemas will help support the local economy and leads to the creation of new jobs.

The government hopes cinemas will attract nearly $1 billion in annual box office sales.

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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

300 Cinemas to Open in Saudi Arabia Starting March 2018

One more thing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) will miss while working in Saudi Arabia is the opportunity to watch movies on the big screen or cinema. But starting March 2018, a ban on cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be a thing of the past. This is after the Kingdom lifted a decades-long ban on commercial cinemas. The measure is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme.
One more thing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) will miss while working in Saudi Arabia is the opportunity to watch movies on the big screen or cinema.
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But starting March 2018, a ban on cinemas in Saudi Arabia will be a thing of the past. This is after the Kingdom lifted a decades-long ban on commercial cinemas.

The measure is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 social and economic reform program.


According to the ministry of culture and information, issuing licenses will begin immediately and the first cinema is expected to open in March 2018.

It was the 1970s when Saudi had cinemas but clerics persuaded authorities to close them because it would corrupt morals.

 Read: Saudi Arabia to Open Red Sea Luxury Resort Where Women Can Wear Bikinis?

Last January, clerics warn the same against the plan but authorities appear to be shrugging off the threat.

Saudi filmmakers have long argued that a ban on cinemas does not make sense in the age of YouTube.



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Read: Some Women in Saudi Arabia Are Now Learning To Drive

 The culture ministry said, that the decision to license cinema was the "central to the government's programme to encourage an open and rich domestic culture for Saudis".

The ministry said the move would open up a domestic market of more than 32 million people and that it anticipated there would be more than 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens by 2030.

Early this year when Saudi authorities began sponsoring concerts. This includes a concert of US hip-hop artist Nelly and Algerian singer Cheb Khaled in the Red Sea city of Jeddah although the event is open to men only.
With the good news, big cinema chains are now racing to Saudi Arabia.

 One of this is Odeon, the world's biggest cinema chain that mainly operates in the US and Europe. Odeon parent company AMC, announced a joint venture with Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.
AMC operates 11,000 screens in the said two continents. 

 The Odeon chain will face stiff competition from Dubai-based VOX Cinemas, the leading operator in the Gulf and the Middle East with more than 300 screens.
According to Alain Bejjani, chief executive of VOX’s parent company Majid Al Futtaim they are looking the possibility of expansion to Saudi Arabia



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Thursday, August 10, 2017

Saudis Start to Feel Negative Impact of Expat Fees

Looking back a year ago into the plans of the Saudi Government to effectively earn huge sums of money by taxing expatriates in one form or another, everyone but the government saw the toll it would take, not only with expatriates but with the local economy as well. Fast forward to today, a number of expatriates have opted to send their families back home following the imposition of the dependents' annual fees than began July 1st. This has resulted in an unusually large number of apartments being vacated with no new tenants coming in. In what seems to be the beginning of a domino effect, real estate prices in the Eastern Province have crashed, causing a nervous slowdown in the construction industry and effectively bringing down with it the price of construction materials. According to real estate agencies, prices of land and houses have been on a continuous downward trend since the end of 2016. The market was hoping to see stability in prices at the beginning of this year. But the first quarter results showed an even more worsening figure. According to trade analysts and real estate agents, prime land rates in Al-Khobar and Dammam in the Eastern Province witnessed a sharp decline of around 18%. The rates were even lower in remote areas, going down by more than 20%. The fall in the prices began about six months ago when nervous expatriates accepted the fact that the government was hell-bent in imposing the expat fees as well as new taxes, and that they would have to face the brunt of it. Alongside the decline in real estate price, Saudi Arabia has also witnessed a sharp drop in house rents in the past 8 months. This is mostly due to the fact that a majority of renters are expats, mainly because they are not allowed to purchase real estate properties in the kingdom. According to one estimate, house rents in prime locations in Al- Khobar and Dammam have gone down by 15 to 20% in a country where just a few years ago, rents were expected to increase annually. Real estate agents fear further slide in rental rates as there are more vacant houses and less takers - this after the government, in a bid to stabilize the then increasing rental rates, pressured landowners to develop unused lots or risk a government buyout. "A four-room apartment which was rented for SR24,000 a year is now offered at SR22,000 or less," one real estate agent is quoted as saying. Similarly flats in Dammam Housing (Iskan), which were fetching rent as high as SR35,000 a year until last year, are now lying vacant with a rent tag of SR25,000 per annum. Agents say the rent prices are expected to come further down as many more expatriates will send their families and dependents to their respective homes. The major reason real estate brokers cited was nervousness in the market over large-scale exodus of expatriates from the Kingdom. No doubt that new fee on expatriates, increase in visa fee and other expat-related hikes will initially bring in huge revenue and will also help in Saudization campaign, but economists warn that the flight of expatriate workers is disturbing the projected population ratio, thus affecting demand. The impact will not be restricted to real estate but will spread to consumer items, services and even industrial products. The declining land prices and house rents have already impacted the construction industry adversely. Construction companies are getting less and less contracts, forcing them to lay-off a huge number of employees. Some companies have totally closed shop. Since construction on several projects has either slowed down or completely stopped, the construction-related material industry has also suffered a major setback. The worst affected is the cement industry which has witnessed lowest price decline since 2008. According to market retail rate a cement bag that was costing SR240 is now costing between SR130-170. The high quality Sulfur Resistant Cement, which was being sold in retail market for SR260, has gone down to SR150-190. The larger cement companies including Yamama Cement, Eastern Cement, Qassim Cement have experienced a decline in profit from 46 percent to 81 percent in the first six months of 2017. Industry expert say that these declines will eventually impact other industries as well and unless some drastic corrective measures are taken, the situation is likely to worsen further.




Looking back a year ago into the plans of the Saudi Government to effectively earn huge sums of money by taxing expatriates in one form or another, everyone but the government saw the toll it would take, not only with expatriates but with the local economy as well.

Fast forward to today, a number of expatriates have opted to send their families back home following the imposition of the dependents' annual fees than began July 1st. This has resulted in an unusually large number of apartments being vacated with no new tenants coming in.
Plenty of new apartments, lesser and lesser renters

In what seems to be the beginning of a domino effect, real estate prices in the Eastern Province have crashed, causing a nervous slowdown in the construction industry and effectively bringing down with it the price of construction materials.

According to real estate agencies, prices of land and houses have been on a continuous downward trend since the end of 2016. The market was hoping to see stability in prices at the beginning of this year. But the first quarter results showed an even more worsening figure.
For Rent signs are seen everywhere as more and more expats leave the kingdom.

According to trade analysts and real estate agents, prime land rates in Al-Khobar and Dammam in the Eastern Province witnessed a sharp decline of around 18%. The rates were even lower in remote areas, going down by more than 20%.

The fall in the prices began about six months ago when nervous expatriates accepted the fact that the government was hell-bent in imposing the expat fees as well as new taxes, and that they would have to face the brunt of it.


Alongside the decline in real estate price, Saudi Arabia has also witnessed a sharp drop in house rents in the past 8 months. This is mostly due to the fact that a majority of renters are expats, mainly because they are not allowed to purchase real estate properties in the kingdom.

 According to one estimate, house rents in prime locations in Al- Khobar and Dammam have gone down by 15 to 20% in a country where just a few years ago, rents were expected to increase annually. Real estate agents fear further slide in rental rates as there are more vacant houses and less takers - this after the government, in a bid to stabilize the then increasing rental rates, pressured landowners to develop unused lots or risk a government buyout.
Commercial spaces are also affected as more and more expats leave homes and businesses due to policies seen as unfavourable, even aggressive, against expats.

"A four-room apartment which was rented for SR24,000 a year is now offered at SR22,000 or less," one real estate agent is quoted as saying. Similarly flats in Dammam Housing (Iskan), which were fetching rent as high as SR35,000 a year until last year, are now lying vacant with a rent tag of SR25,000 per annum.

Agents say the rent prices are expected to come further down as many more expatriates will send their families and dependents to their respective homes. The major reason real estate brokers cited was nervousness in the market over large-scale exodus of expatriates from the Kingdom.

No doubt that new fee on expatriates, increase in visa fee and other expat-related hikes will initially bring in huge revenue and will also help in Saudization campaign, but economists warn that the flight of expatriate workers is disturbing the projected population ratio, thus affecting demand. The impact will not be restricted to real estate but will spread to consumer items, services and even industrial products.


The declining land prices and house rents have already impacted the construction industry adversely. Construction companies are getting less and less contracts, forcing them to lay-off a huge number of employees. Some companies have totally closed shop. Since construction on several projects has either slowed down or completely stopped, the construction-related material industry has also suffered a major setback. 
The worst affected is the cement industry which has witnessed lowest price decline since 2008. According to market retail rate a metric ton of cement that was costing SR240 is now costing between SR130-170. The high quality Sulfur Resistant Cement, which was being sold in retail market for SR260 per metric ton, has gone down to SR150-190.
The larger cement companies including Yamama Cement, Eastern Cement, Qassim Cement have experienced a decline in profit from 46 percent to 81 percent in the first six months of 2017.

Industry expert say that these declines will eventually impact other industries as well and unless some drastic corrective measures are taken, the situation is likely to worsen further.

 sources: Saudi Gazette



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Thursday, June 22, 2017

No more Filipino and Expat Workers in Saudi Arabia Malls?


Jobs in malls in Saudi Arabia will soon be off-limits to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and other expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is planning to hire their local workforce to work at mall shops with an aim to address the ballooning number of unemployed Saudis and to give safeguard jobs to the citizens of the country. According to Wikipedia, Saudi Arabia's foreign worker is estimated at 9 million as of April 2013.




 Jobs in malls in Saudi Arabia will soon be off-limits to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and other expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom is planning to hire their local workforce to work at mall shops with an aim to address the ballooning number of unemployed Saudis and to give safeguard jobs to the citizens of the country.

According to Wikipedia, Saudi Arabia's foreign worker is estimated at 9 million as of April 2013.




 The decision not to hire expat workers in malls was posted by Ministry of Labor Spokesman Abu Al Khail, without providing additional details.

But many believe it is part of Saudization and a Vision 2013 or the Economic Reform Program of the Kingdom that was launched las 2016.

Under the vision, Saudi is seeking to use non-oil revenues to generate much of its additional future energy needs to avoid running down oil resources and diversify its economy.

Under the plan, a great number of Saudi women as untapped resources will be introduced to the workforce.


This year, Saudi announced that four sectors are already embracing Saudization.

These are the following;
1.Telecom Sector - including selling mobile phones and accessories (September 2016)



2. Health Sector - particularly the pharmaceutical sector, according to report, full Saudization to be implemented in 2018.



3. Automobile Sales Sector - both agencies and car rental offices, started 1st quarter of 2017

4. Gold and vegetable market (being evaluated to be Saudidized)


Earlier, the Labor Ministry has banned expatriate in different kinds of professions in Saudi.

The following are jobs, foreign workers cannot apply for in Saudi Arabia
  • chief administrator of human resources at government
  • chief administrator of human resource in private sector companies
  • head of the personnel department
  • director of labor affairs
  • director of personnel relations
  • employment clerk
  • time-keeper
  • receptionist (general)
  • receptionist (hotel)
  • receptionist (hospitals)
  • cashier
  • typist
The ministry has banned renewal of work permits for expatriates doing jobs that are reserved for Saudis.

 Last month, Saudi also announced that foreign dentist is no longer welcome to work in the Kingdom. This is to encourage more opportunities for their own nationals.

It said that the move is to encourage private clinics and hospitals to hire more local dentists.


(Sources: Arab News, Arabian Business, The Filipino Times)

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Sunday, June 04, 2017

Companies Start Collecting Dependent's Fee For Saudi Expats

In December of 2016, the Saudi Government has unveiled their 2017 Budget. It was a time of great upheaval in the kingdom as the price of oil remains very low and the government is losing money everyday. The budget was, by any account, revolutionary. As the Saudi Government works overtime to balance their declining finances, they started to look at other sources of income outside the oil industry. Among the "new" sources of income is the imposition of new fees to the massive population of expatriates in the kingdom. One such levy is about to be implemented next month. The Dependent's Fee is a 100-Riyal monthly fee levied for each dependent of an expatriate worker. It means, an expatriate worker (or his employer?) should pay an annual fee of SR1200.00 for EACH dependent living with the employee in the kingdom. The amount is said to be collected annually during Iqama (residency card) renewal. In 2018, the amount will double, then triple in 2019. By year 2020, the Dependent's Fee would be four times, or SR400 per month! OFWs in Saudi are starting to share the information that their companies are giving out memos to expatriate workers regarding the Dependent's Fee. Expatriates have sent images of such notices to friends and relatives using What's App or FB Messenger. Most pictures taken does not show the company logo, perhaps to avoid a backlash from the employer, but some contain the company logos, which gives more credence to the report. Check out the images below so you can judge for yourself. We have tried several times to verify the story, but knowing the Saudi Government, any official announcement regarding this issue is done only via the Ministry of Interior. It is still unclear whether who will shoulder the new fees. While the Saudi Labor Law clearly states that employers must shoulder all costs and imposed fees related to hiring an expatriate worker, some companies split the cost with their employees. Many, however, simply pass the costs to their employers, taking-advantage of the workers lack of knowledge on local labor laws. The number of OFWs with dependents in Saudi Arabia is currently unclear. One thing is for sure, if this plan continues, then their numbers will surely decrease. As such, the Philippine government should also prepare for a surge of Filipino OFWs and their dependents, most of whom will surely go home in the next few years.



In December of 2016, the Saudi Government has unveiled their 2017 Budget. It was a time of great upheaval in the kingdom as the price of oil remains very low and the government is losing money everyday. The budget was, by any account, revolutionary. As the Saudi Government works overtime to balance their declining finances, they started to look at other sources of income outside the oil industry.

 Among the "new" sources of income is the imposition of new fees to the massive population of expatriates in the kingdom. One such levy is about to be implemented next month.

 The Dependent's Fee is a 100-Riyal monthly fee levied for each dependent of an expatriate worker. It means, an expatriate worker (or his employer?) should pay an annual fee of SR1200.00 for EACH dependent living with the employee in the kingdom. The amount is said to be collected annually during Iqama (residency card) renewal. In 2018, the amount will double, then triple in 2019. By year 2020, the Dependent's Fee would be four times, or SR400 per month!
In December of 2016, the Saudi Government has unveiled their 2017 Budget. It was a time of great upheaval in the kingdom as the price of oil remains very low and the government is losing money everyday. The budget was, by any account, revolutionary. As the Saudi Government works overtime to balance their declining finances, they started to look at other sources of income outside the oil industry. Among the "new" sources of income is the imposition of new fees to the massive population of expatriates in the kingdom. One such levy is about to be implemented next month. The Dependent's Fee is a 100-Riyal monthly fee levied for each dependent of an expatriate worker. It means, an expatriate worker (or his employer?) should pay an annual fee of SR1200.00 for EACH dependent living with the employee in the kingdom. The amount is said to be collected annually during Iqama (residency card) renewal. In 2018, the amount will double, then triple in 2019. By year 2020, the Dependent's Fee would be four times, or SR400 per month! OFWs in Saudi are starting to share the information that their companies are giving out memos to expatriate workers regarding the Dependent's Fee. Expatriates have sent images of such notices to friends and relatives using What's App or FB Messenger. Most pictures taken does not show the company logo, perhaps to avoid a backlash from the employer, but some contain the company logos, which gives more credence to the report. Check out the images below so you can judge for yourself. We have tried several times to verify the story, but knowing the Saudi Government, any official announcement regarding this issue is done only via the Ministry of Interior. It is still unclear whether who will shoulder the new fees. While the Saudi Labor Law clearly states that employers must shoulder all costs and imposed fees related to hiring an expatriate worker, some companies split the cost with their employees. Many, however, simply pass the costs to their employers, taking-advantage of the workers lack of knowledge on local labor laws. The number of OFWs with dependents in Saudi Arabia is currently unclear. One thing is for sure, if this plan continues, then their numbers will surely decrease. As such, the Philippine government should also prepare for a surge of Filipino OFWs and their dependents, most of whom will surely go home in the next few years.
A page from the Fiscal Balance Program - Balanced Budget 2020
OFWs in Saudi are starting to share the information that their companies are giving out memos to expatriate workers regarding the Dependent's Fee. Expatriates have sent images of such notices to friends and relatives using What's App or FB Messenger. Most pictures taken does not show the company logo, perhaps to avoid a backlash from the employer, but some contain the company logos, which gives more credence to the report.

 Check out the images below so you can judge for yourself. We have tried several times to verify the story, but knowing the Saudi Government, any official announcement regarding this issue is done only via the Ministry of Interior.

In December of 2016, the Saudi Government has unveiled their 2017 Budget. It was a time of great upheaval in the kingdom as the price of oil remains very low and the government is losing money everyday. The budget was, by any account, revolutionary. As the Saudi Government works overtime to balance their declining finances, they started to look at other sources of income outside the oil industry. Among the "new" sources of income is the imposition of new fees to the massive population of expatriates in the kingdom. One such levy is about to be implemented next month. The Dependent's Fee is a 100-Riyal monthly fee levied for each dependent of an expatriate worker. It means, an expatriate worker (or his employer?) should pay an annual fee of SR1200.00 for EACH dependent living with the employee in the kingdom. The amount is said to be collected annually during Iqama (residency card) renewal. In 2018, the amount will double, then triple in 2019. By year 2020, the Dependent's Fee would be four times, or SR400 per month! OFWs in Saudi are starting to share the information that their companies are giving out memos to expatriate workers regarding the Dependent's Fee. Expatriates have sent images of such notices to friends and relatives using What's App or FB Messenger. Most pictures taken does not show the company logo, perhaps to avoid a backlash from the employer, but some contain the company logos, which gives more credence to the report. Check out the images below so you can judge for yourself. We have tried several times to verify the story, but knowing the Saudi Government, any official announcement regarding this issue is done only via the Ministry of Interior. It is still unclear whether who will shoulder the new fees. While the Saudi Labor Law clearly states that employers must shoulder all costs and imposed fees related to hiring an expatriate worker, some companies split the cost with their employees. Many, however, simply pass the costs to their employers, taking-advantage of the workers lack of knowledge on local labor laws. The number of OFWs with dependents in Saudi Arabia is currently unclear. One thing is for sure, if this plan continues, then their numbers will surely decrease. As such, the Philippine government should also prepare for a surge of Filipino OFWs and their dependents, most of whom will surely go home in the next few years.


In December of 2016, the Saudi Government has unveiled their 2017 Budget. It was a time of great upheaval in the kingdom as the price of oil remains very low and the government is losing money everyday. The budget was, by any account, revolutionary. As the Saudi Government works overtime to balance their declining finances, they started to look at other sources of income outside the oil industry. Among the "new" sources of income is the imposition of new fees to the massive population of expatriates in the kingdom. One such levy is about to be implemented next month. The Dependent's Fee is a 100-Riyal monthly fee levied for each dependent of an expatriate worker. It means, an expatriate worker (or his employer?) should pay an annual fee of SR1200.00 for EACH dependent living with the employee in the kingdom. The amount is said to be collected annually during Iqama (residency card) renewal. In 2018, the amount will double, then triple in 2019. By year 2020, the Dependent's Fee would be four times, or SR400 per month! OFWs in Saudi are starting to share the information that their companies are giving out memos to expatriate workers regarding the Dependent's Fee. Expatriates have sent images of such notices to friends and relatives using What's App or FB Messenger. Most pictures taken does not show the company logo, perhaps to avoid a backlash from the employer, but some contain the company logos, which gives more credence to the report. Check out the images below so you can judge for yourself. We have tried several times to verify the story, but knowing the Saudi Government, any official announcement regarding this issue is done only via the Ministry of Interior. It is still unclear whether who will shoulder the new fees. While the Saudi Labor Law clearly states that employers must shoulder all costs and imposed fees related to hiring an expatriate worker, some companies split the cost with their employees. Many, however, simply pass the costs to their employers, taking-advantage of the workers lack of knowledge on local labor laws. The number of OFWs with dependents in Saudi Arabia is currently unclear. One thing is for sure, if this plan continues, then their numbers will surely decrease. As such, the Philippine government should also prepare for a surge of Filipino OFWs and their dependents, most of whom will surely go home in the next few years.
It is still unclear whether who will shoulder the new fees. While the Saudi Labor Law clearly states that employers must shoulder all costs and imposed fees related to hiring an expatriate worker, some companies split the cost with their employees. Many, however, simply pass the costs to their employers, taking-advantage of the workers lack of knowledge on local labor laws.

 The number of OFWs with dependents in Saudi Arabia is currently unclear. One thing is for sure, if this plan continues, then their numbers will surely decrease.
As such, the Philippine government should also prepare for a surge of Filipino OFWs and their dependents, most of whom will surely go home in the next few years.



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