Massive Fingerprinting of Expats Begins
Fingerprint
7 Feb. 2009/Diraiyah, Riyadh
Saudi Government through its Director General of the Passport Department are now implementing finger-printing on all migrant workers here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This massive fingerprinting of expatriates begins today 7 February, 2009 at Saudi Oger, Diraiyah compound.
The order from the Passport Department is to strengthen its internal security measures against terrorist activities and infiltration; crimes such as drug smuggling, manufacturing and alcohol use, visa forgery, immoral act and back door activities where undocumented expatriates were able to flee the country despite of police and court pending cases.
Although the order was already issued last year but authorities are now on its massive implemention stage. Today thousands of expatriates including Filipinos from various companies in Riyadh arrived at Diraiyah where the fingerprinting and photos of expatriates were taken at Saudi Oger compound.
According to the interior ministry security experts substantial increase in crimes involving foreigners were reported. Mandatory fingerprinting will help solve crimes and prevent those expats or foreigners with criminal backgrounds to return the country with false names or new identity. The system will uncover their presence upon entering the country’s air and sea ports. According to an Immigration official, “this could also prevent expatriates to leave the country using backdoor facilities”.
The finger-printing requirement was already implemented to new expatriates coming in the Kingdom and former expatriates with new employer.
The system is now being implemented in the airport Immigration upon arrival of foreigners to work in the country.
OFW Congress an organization of Filipino Community leaders in Riyadh, advocating OFW issues and concerns are worried about undocumented OFWs, overstaying, stranded and ran away OFWs roaming around the four corners of the Kingdom. Engr. Faisal Sharque of OFWC said “the Philippine Embassy and Philippine Consulates must be ready to help and protect its nationals and to house undocumented OFWs that will surely ask for their assistance”.
In King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology-KACST, a Government institution provide buses to their expatriate employees going to Diraiyah, Saudi Oger compound in compliance to the order.
“Philippine Embassy officials should act as early as possible and invite Filipino Community organizations to a meeting where proactive solution to the problem must be acted upon before the jails of the Kingdom will be congested with Overseas Filipino Workers” a member organization of OFW Congress said.
Exclusive Report by: Aiman Ahmad
Thank you Sir for this info. Our company did not inform us about this fingerprinting. We will inform them instead. Meron lang po akong tanong sir, I am about to leave my employer in 2 months time but usual practice i notice from our employer is that they ask us to sign quitclaim and waiver even they did not comply to the standard computations for esb. Do we sign the documents? or just leave it. Because many tsismis here that if we dont sign they will delay our final departure, Please give us advise sir. By the way, i knew you by name here in Industrial area. Thank you for your blog.
Hi Vin! Yes I was working in the 3rd Industrial Area-Riyadh for 9 years and I decided to go home for good. However, OFWs keeps on coming back abroad pag ubos butas na ang bulsa sa Pinas. Kaya andito pa rin ako but not anymore in the vicinity of Industrial Area. The best way is to save money or set aside a little for our future para pag mag decide na tayo – “once and for all”.
About your question, please don’t sign any quitclaim and waiver without any witnesses. I mean the form that you are going to sign must be signed by anyone of your co-employees. Also the documents should be subscribed and sworn to under oath preferably before a labor attaché in Riyadh. The presence of a labor attaché could verify the exact computation of your end of service award.
For more infos at para mas maliwanang read link below or copy it in your browser:
http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2007/oct2007/gr_145587_2007.html
About tsismis na i-delay ka, ito lang masasabi ko, umpisahan mong ipaglaban ang karapatan ng isang mangagawang pinoy at hindi malayo na ikaw pa ang maging daan upang hindi na mangyari ang ganitong maling practices sa kompanya mong pinaglilingkuran. Sulat ka lang at samahan kita sa tanggapan ng ating kaibigan at mabait na POLO Labor attaché Resty Dela Fuente.
Sir tanong ko na rin po.. mag exit narin po ako sa end nitong february 2009.. meron po bang time frame bago ako pwede makabalik dito sa Saudi?
thanks po in advance..
Hi Mik! Thanks for dropping by. Walang time frame not unless the company will ask you to sign a document stating that you will not comeback to Saudi Arabia in a given period of time, say 1 year, 2 years. Risky lang kung mag decide ka na bumalik lalo na kung ang business ng bago mong employer ay katulad ng una. Alam mo na siguro kung bakit. Halimbawa makarating ka rito ng walang problema, well.. suwerte ka.
Huwag lang i-submit sa immigration office ang pinirmahan na dokumento, pag nagkataon sa immigration pa lang naharang na ang ofw.
Well…mag isip ng mabuti kung babalik ka rito kung may pinirmahan kang dokumento na nakasaad na ikaw ay hindi muna babalik.
Ang payo ko, kung babalik ka man siguradoin na ang business ng bago mong employer ay hindi katulad sa business ng inalisan mong kompanya or maghanap ka ng ma-aplayan na hindi dito sa KSA. Thanks again.
Sir maraming salamat po sa inyo.
May choice po ba ko not to sign any documents? Pag di po ako nag sign may rights po ba silang hindi ibigay sakin ang end of service award ko?
Tamang tama po ang reply nyo pinapatawag kasi ako ng personnel namin para mag sign pa raw ng papers eh ang alam ko po ay napirmahan ko na ang clearance. Kaya nagulat ako na may pipirmahan pa raw po ako.
Thanks po na marami.
Hi Mik! wala kang choice, u have to sign it. pero wala silang right na mag hold sa esb if u wish not to sign. just make sure that they calculate your esb according to SLL.
sir dati ako run away 2 years ago, pwede pa po kaya ako makabalik sa saudi with a new employer this time.
hi evelyn, first of all, tumakas ka di ba? 2 years ago. ibig sabihin may hindi magandang rason kaya ka tumakas. ang sa akin lang marami namang bansa na puwede kang magtrabaho bilang ofw, bakit saudi pa.
may itatanong ako, paano ka nakauwi, through the help of philemb/polo/owwa? dumaan kaba sa SWA? kung dumaan ka sa tamang proseso, sa tingin ko puwede kang makabalik. dahil dito sa saudi, ang lahat ng dumating ay makauwi (exit) lang kung bigyan ka ng exit pass ng iyong employer. takas ka man o hindi. ibig sabihin noon may pahintulot ang iyong dating employer na makauwi ka, kahit tumakas ka sa kanya. ngunit kung dumaan ka sa tinatawag nilang back door, ibig sabihin hindi ka dumaan sa tamang proseso, payo ko, wag ka ng bumalik dahil naka poste ang pangalan mo sa police at immigration. kung sakaling gusto mo talaga, ikaw na ang magdesisyon. ingat sa iyong muling pagbabalik.
good day po. opo tumakas po ako dahil po sa sexual harassment na ginagawa ng employer ko, actually po nurse ako dati sa private clinic doon. nakipag ugnayan po ako sa OWWA kaya nabigyan ako ng instruction sa pagpunta ko sa embassy, POLO , sa bahay kalinga at SWA. Hindi na po ako nagfile ng case dahil wala akong resources at gusto ko nalang makauwi. Hindi ko na po sinabi ang pangalan ng employer ko para matapos na lang, after 23 days po sa SWA nakauwi ako thru travel doc that was Sept 2006. Magkaka problema po ba ako kung babalik ako doon this year. hindi po ako makaapply sa ibang lugar because of my age im 41. Saudi lang po ang maluwag sa ganyan. Sana po matulungan nyo ako thru your advice. Thanks po.
hi evelyn, sorry for late reply. ibig sabihin dokumentado ka. wala naman siguro dahil binigyan ka ng exit o release ng dati mong employer. halimbawa, mag desisyon kang bumalik at mag apply ka sa agency or sa poea, ma verify naman ang status mo dahil ang lahat ng job order ay dadaan muna sa opisina ng ating phil. overseas labor office sa saudi. ibig sabihin pag aprobahan ng labor attache ang job order, walang problema. makipag ugnayan sa poea sa pilipinas sa karagdagang advice. by the way, nurse ka pala, ang daming mapasokan dito sa saudi ma clinic man o ma hospital. kaya kung ako ikaw huwag ng mamasokan bilang FHSW. Ingat sa iyong muling pagbabalik.
Sir, Thank you very much po at more power to all of you in this site. God bless .
Salamat Evelyn! Asahan ko ang iyong muling pagbisita sa maliit nating (ofws) tahanan (blog)..
youre welcome po. dito lang po ako palagi naka subscribe po ako to this blog.
GOD BLESS.
pahabol, para sa iyo ang kantang ito at sa ating mga kahanay na nasa pilipinas sa mga oras na ito… click link pls….
THANK YOU PO.
Sir,magandang gabii po sa inyo at sa pamilya nyo,meron lang akong tanong,by june this coming 2009 matatapos yung contract ko at yung eqamma ko will be expire by july 23 2009,gusto kong mag exit,at meron ako malilipatan,d2 parin sa riyadh,halimbawa sir inde magbigay ang company ko nang NOC,ilang buwan po bah ako pwedeng bumalik ulit sa saudi?
sana po maliwanagan nyo ako bago matapos ang contrata ko
salamat po and more power
[...] Gambling is also strictly prohibited in the Kingdom. Caught and if found guilty of organizing such gambling arena will be imprisoned for months, lashing and be deported to their respective country of origin and be blacklisted to enter back again in the Kingdom (see related entry “Massive Fingerprinting of Expats Begins“). [...]
mahohold ba ako sa immigration ng airport ng saudi dahil ako po ay may exit re entry sa dating kompanya??
Hi Mr. Pat, naka record sa Saudi Immigration ang iyong exit re-entry visa at work permit “iqama”. samakatuwid you are still an employee of the company. kaya kung ako ikaw hindi na ako makipagsapalaran na bumalik dito in a new employer. pero nasa iyo na yon mr. pat kung makinig ka sa payo ko.
Bong
ako po ay may exit re entry,ngunt ako ay babalik sa ibang employer na may new pasport at new visa sa saudi. ang tanong ko po ay makakapasok po b ako sairport ng saudi? ma hohold ba ko sa immigration airport ng ksa? pls. i need your reply sir… slmat po…
sir,
eto po ako ulit, just want to sa THANK YOU sa pag bigay ng lakas loob sa akin na makabalik dito sa saudi, 6 mos na po ako dito sa Riyadh at may iqama na, ok na po lahat. God bless po.
wala pong anoman ms. lyn. ingat kayo lagi.
bong
May exit re entry ako ,ngunt ako ay babalik sa ibang employer na may new pasport at new visa sa saudi. ang tanong ko po ay makakapasok po b ako sairport ng saudi? ma hohold ba ko sa immigration airport ng ksa? pls. i need your reply sir… slmat po…
mr. pat or mizpah,
may sagot na ako sa tanong mo, basahin sa baba. kung gusto mo ulitin ko, ang sagot “OO” dahil hindi pa sinubmit o kinansela ng kompanya mo ang iqama mo (dahil re-entry ka). ibig sabihin may record ka sa immigration na may re-entry visa ka, ibig sabihin non timbog ka sa immigration dahil pag basa ng pangalan mo may kapangalan ka na may re-entry visa. ma question ka ngayon at tawagan ang dati mong employer. nakuha mo na ibig ko sabihin? or kung swerte ka, nakalusot ka sa bago mong pangalan (kung nag pa recto ka sa birth certificate mo) timbog ka pa rin pag nakalabas ka na sa immigration dahil tiyak may bibisita sa yo dahil ma question ang fingerprint mo. please note, walang fingerprint na magka pareho. and note sa lahat, ang IQAMA natin ay isang napaka importanteng laman ng iyong pitaka, lahat ng transaksyon gamit ang IQAMA. kung mag loan ka sa banko, gamit IQAMA, kung mag exit ka hindi aprobahan ng jawasat o immigration ang wxit mo, BAKIT? may outstanding loan ka, nakita sa iqama. hindi ka nga puwede makauwi kahit nasa airport kana kung may traffic violation ka na hindi nabayaran (experience ko yan bayad ako SR 100, nabawasan baon ko sa pinas). Ang tanong, may exit re-entry pa kaya??????
wala bang posibilidad na hnde tawagan yung dati kung company? wala namn akong ginwang masamang kasalanang at kung anu. My mas magandang oportunidad lang yung bago ko balak pasokan n company. hnde ko din balak magbago ng pangalan.
anu po kaya sa tingin niyo? thnk you po sa pasagot nio.
Mr. Pat,
Huwag mo na lang ilagay ang sarili mo sa alanganing situwasyon. Ang pinakamanda mong gawin, mag file ka ng exit sa kasalukuyan mong employer.
Bong