The Saudi Ministry of Interior has reiterated its strong warnings to all establishments and employers against employing expatriate workers in violation of regulations, or neglecting to enforce residency, labor, and border security laws. The Ministry emphasized that penalties will be imposed on any establishment found to be employing undocumented expatriates, allowing its employees to work independently or for others, or even employing workers from other establishments illegally.
Details of the prescribed penalties
The ministry explained that violating establishments will face a package of deterrent penalties aimed at regulating the labor market, including:
- A fine of up to 100,000 Saudi Riyals .
- The penalty is imprisonment for up to one year.
- The ban on recruitment for up to 5 years directly affects the operational capacity of the facility.
- If the manager in charge is an expatriate, he will be deported from the Kingdom after the penalty is carried out, and he will be banned from entering the Kingdom again.
Context of the "A Nation Without Violators" campaign
These warnings come within the context of ongoing security and field campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Interior and its partners under the slogan "A Nation Without Violators." This campaign is part of a comprehensive strategy that the Kingdom began implementing years ago to track down and apprehend violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations. These efforts aim to rectify the labor market situation and eliminate negative phenomena that affect national security and the economy.
Economic and security importance
These measures are of paramount importance both locally and economically, as they aim to:
- Protecting the national economy: by combating commercial concealment and irregular work that drains resources and harms fair competition between legitimate establishments.
- Enhancing security: The presence of undocumented or illegal workers poses a security challenge, and these campaigns contribute to reducing crime rates and ensuring the stability of society.
- Supporting localization: Controlling violators contributes to providing a healthy and attractive work environment for national talent, which supports the Kingdom’s plans to reduce unemployment rates and empower citizens.
Reporting mechanism and complete confidentiality
The Ministry of Interior called on all citizens and residents to cooperate with security authorities and report any violations of residency, labor, and border security regulations. The Ministry emphasized that reporting such violations is a national duty that contributes to the security and safety of society.
Reports can be made via the following numbers:
- The number (911) is available in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
- The number (999) in the rest of the Kingdom.
The relevant authorities stressed that all reports are dealt with in complete confidentiality , without any legal responsibility on the informant, in order to encourage members of society to actively participate in eliminating violations.
