There is nothing like sitting around in an office for three weeks with no work to do for motivating you to look for new jobs. Actually, there is nothing like working for a company that doesn't respond to phone calls and emails, and has you working in a country illegally to motivate you to look for new jobs. It's just a lucky coincidence that they happen to be paying me to do it on their time.
So, they still have not given me an Iqama. I have been living here on an expired visa since July 23rd. If I try to leave the country on an expired visa, the company (but really me, because they could refuse to pay it) would charge me $2,666.00 (ominous exact amount when I convert it from Riyals). Obviously, I have been pretty concerned about this, so I have been sending emails asking them about my situation daily since we came back from Eid Break. I have also called them everyday. Two weeks later, they have still not responded to a single email or phone call.
In the meantime, I have been spending my time applying for other positions. Last week, I got an interview with a women's vocational training college in Khobar (about 30 minutes away) that pays about $1,000 more per month, and would house us in a brand new compound. It seems too good to be true. They offered me the position the next day, and want me to start August 31st. Great, right? Wrong. Like everything else in this country, it is not that easy.
First of all, there is the 30 day resignation notice that I need to give my old company, which obviously wouldn't finish before August 31st. I asked if I could start a week later, and they told me they really needed someone now, or if I couldn't start on time, they would have to have me wait until December when the second trimester starts. However, I do have about a week of vacation saved up, and could take that plus leave without pay for any days that might overlap, if that were the only problem. But it isn't. In Saudi, you are sponsored by your company, and your legal status in the country is provided by them. So if you resign, the only way to legally remain in the country is to have your Iqama transferred to another company. There are two problems with that, one, I still do not have an Iqama, and two, most companies do not want to simply hand you over to another company seeing as how they have paid to recruit you and paid your plane ticket and invested all the effort of bringing you here in the first place. So the chances are slim to none that they would agree to transfer your Iqama. What they are more likely to do is give you a final exit visa. This means that you have to leave the country right away.
Even this wouldn't be so bad, if say, you could just leave, go to Bahrain, get a new visa, and then re-enter with the new company. The problem is, most Saudi Visas must be issued in your country of origin. Meaning, I would possibly have to fly home, start the visa application process all over again from scratch, and hope that my former company didn't do anything to prevent me from getting a new visa.
The other thing about all this, is that everyone gives you different advice. Some people have said that since I don't have an Iqama yet, it is actually a good thing, and I can leave more easily, and the new company can issue me a business visa from Bahrain, no problem. Since there is no Iqama to transfer, the old company has no hold on me. Another person said that no, If I left before the Iqama was issued then that triggers a 2 year ban on getting any visas for Saudi in my name. Another rumor is that if I tell my old company that I have another offer, they will not agree to release me, and without a final exit visa, I can not legally exit the country.
I spoke with an HR person at the new company who told me that they would try to get a business visa for me through Bahrain so that I wouldn't have to go all the way home to the United States. They are currently bringing all their new teachers in on business visa's since they haven't yet received their LLC license in Saudi yet (they are a Brittish Company). They will then eventually switch us over to Iqamas when they receive the license. The problem with this is, my old company still has my passport and will not give it back until they issue an Iqama, making it impossible to leave the country, let alone get a new visa. They are consulting with their lawyers and the Saudi Government Liaison to see what can be done.
In the meantime, I can't give notice, because if we can't figure out how to work it out so I can start in August, I won't be able to start until December, and I don't want my current company to fire me, or resign too soon, and then I will have to sit around for three months with no pay in order to start again in December. It's a frustrating game of waiting for more information, and holding my breath to see what will happen. Cross your fingers for me....
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