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Saudi women may be able to sponsor expat husbands
| Published: | 12 Feb at 6 PM |
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A new Saudi directive is now being implemented in an attempt to provide security and family stability to Saudi women married to expats and any sons of the marriage.
The directive states that the sons of mixed marriages between Saudi women and expats may be brought into the country under the sponsorship of their mothers. According to Colonel Bader bin Mohammad al Malek, spokesman for the General Directorate of Passports (GDP), the sons of such unions will be allowed in as long as they do not pose a risk to the kingdom’s security.
The sons will be allowed to work in Saudi Arabia’s private sector under their mother’s sponsorship without having the hassle of complex visa issues. Expat husbands of Saudi women will also be allowed to enter the kingdom under their wives’ sponsorship.
The sponsorship fees will be met out of government funds, and an official approval of the marriage as well as a documented contract will need to be presented before the sponsorship can commence. Although the new rules are mainly aimed at Arabs form Egypt, Syria and Yemen, there is no reason to suspect they will not apply to Westerners married to Saudi wives.
Women activists in the kingdom have long been calling for measures to give mixed family couples more security and family stability. One regularly mentioned problem is the fate of Saudi women and their children whose foreign husbands have died.
The directive states that the sons of mixed marriages between Saudi women and expats may be brought into the country under the sponsorship of their mothers. According to Colonel Bader bin Mohammad al Malek, spokesman for the General Directorate of Passports (GDP), the sons of such unions will be allowed in as long as they do not pose a risk to the kingdom’s security.
The sons will be allowed to work in Saudi Arabia’s private sector under their mother’s sponsorship without having the hassle of complex visa issues. Expat husbands of Saudi women will also be allowed to enter the kingdom under their wives’ sponsorship.
The sponsorship fees will be met out of government funds, and an official approval of the marriage as well as a documented contract will need to be presented before the sponsorship can commence. Although the new rules are mainly aimed at Arabs form Egypt, Syria and Yemen, there is no reason to suspect they will not apply to Westerners married to Saudi wives.
Women activists in the kingdom have long been calling for measures to give mixed family couples more security and family stability. One regularly mentioned problem is the fate of Saudi women and their children whose foreign husbands have died.
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