Haron

Hello all,

I have been following this forum for a while and would like to share my experience with job hunting in ME. I am a Kiwi living in Auckland. Last July I got a job offer at a university in KSA. The following is what happened:

-07 July 2012 had the first phone interview with the dean.
-08 July 2012 had a second phone interview with the head of department.
-10 July 2012 received the job offer, which I have negotiated
-20 July 2012 received a revised job offer, which I have accepted.
-20 July 2012 I have sent them copied of passports for visa processing at their end
-30 July 2012 they said they donor have visas for New Zealand and they must apply for it at the Ministry of Higher education in KSA. They advised it may take a few weeks.
-25 August 2012 they came back after the Eid Holiday. No progress
-In the meantime I had medicals done, and had my degrees attested from the KSA consulate.
-28 August 2012 they said it may take a few days to get the visa done for me and the family
-15 September they said the visa has been sent to the Department of Interior and they expect it in 3 weeks.
-30 September 2012 no progress- They said it is out of their hands and don’t know how long it may take at the DOI
-30 October 2012 no progress
-10 November 2012 they said the visa was released from the DOI and now at the Labour Office. Eid Holiday for 2 weeks.
-30 November 2012 No progress
Eventually I gave up, forgot the job and don’t contact them anymore. My question is: is this normal?

mathematist

Unfortunately, common in the ME. Just hope they still have the job for you as they can also pull the plug despite contract and other docs issued to you as you said.

Be prepared for the worst and continue to look for employment elsewhere and resign only when the visa has been issued. How organisations / institutions get away with this I don't know.

It's hit and miss as for a same position, somebody's document clearance process may take 3 weeks, others, more than 4 months. Hope it works out.

scot47

Not unusual in KSA. Universities are - sometimes - better organised than employers in the private sector. It all hinges on the "block visa". Wyhen they get an allocation it is by natiuonality/citizeship. That means they may have 30 for Brits and 20 for US citizens but ZERO for NZers !

mathematist

Never heard of that approach to rectuitment before. Shocking...

Millhouse

really? It happens in the UAE too. We had to employ a dual nationality Pole on his Polish passport once as we didn't have any Brit slots left.

mathematist

To be honest, when I speak to friends back in England and tell them that a contract means nothing before, during and after work out here, they get surprised and don't believe me.

Few more years or even months and am going back home. Can't take how people are treated prior to starting work, lives are messed around with like the original post. Generally a more transparent recruitment process without the crap in the ME.

Finally, the worst thing is that even in the HR depts, there are (western) expats who 'become' part of the new found system and are oblivious to the fact that people can't wait around for a job to come through 6 months later. Rant over.

Desert Dubliner

Really? Astonishing. One comes to the Middle East for its fairness and rule of law and now this.....

Haron

This is weird. I am very thankful that I haven’t resigned back in August, when they said everything should be fine within a few weeks! Although I have paid like $500 for medicals!

siddiqui

You shouldn't have done this usually all expenses are done by them if they are hiring you.

I don't know why it happened with you because they need teachers here and the hiring goes smooth the guy who gets their paper work done at the ministries might have messed up so it got delayed.

i know people who got their visa in a month at the UPM university

Desert Dubliner

Well they're not going to wire money to you in UK. Normally you pay and claim once you're in KSA.

But really, in terms of useless bureaucracy and arrogant, lazy sons of bitches, this is the worst place I have seen.

britexpat76

Same in Qatar. And they wont issue any new visa's for about 12 countries at the minute..............And if you are from any of the countries around here you have no hope in hell. (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria etc)

mathematist

Just a quick question, if your work visa has been declined for an unknown reason in Qatar, can you ever apply again? Can one find out why they've been refused?

This is for a Brit national fyi.

britexpat76

Never heard of one being denied unless there is something untoward that was addressed in a new application.

mathematist

Has happened to a couple of people I know this year, no criminal record, no debts etc... & visa denied, no explanation.

scot47

Never heard of a visa refusal. Lots of stories of delays.