Mixed reaction from Saudis

Saudi businessmen and economists welcomed the announcements by the Ministries of Labor and Interior to simplify the regularization of hundreds of thousands of expatriates in the Kingdom.
They said that the concessions help the continuity and development of businesses.
The concessions are said to cut the way for those trying to find excuses not to comply with the regulations. Even individuals reported “Huroob” by their employers can find new employers without the need to obtain permission from the previous employer.
But some observers said these concessions make the first sponsor or employer “a gateway to the Kingdom” for the expatriates. They said many have come here as maids but left their employers in a matter of weeks after their arrival to the Kingdom.
Jamal Yamani, a businessman, said that the grace period given is an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of those illegally working in Saudi Arabia to work for themselves or for other sponsors.
“They can now look for new sponsors without fearing to pay any penalties except the mandatory fees,” Yamani said.
Fahad Mushabib Al-Khudhair, head of the Makkah Center for Commercial Arbitration, said it would be easier and possible for the authorities to control and stabilize the market when the grace period is over.
Khalaf Al-Otaibi, member of the industrial and building materials committees at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there are illegal workers who actually run their own outlets. In many cases, they are behind the recent shortages in the building materials market.
“They drain the market in order to create artificial shortage and, thus, a black market where they make a fast buck,” he said.