Passports: 19,000 administrative decisions against residency and work violators
As part of ongoing efforts to enhance security and regulate the labor market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the General Directorate of Passports announced the issuance of 19,559 administrative decisions during the month of Rajab. These decisions were issued through its administrative and quasi-judicial committees located throughout the Kingdom. The decisions targeted citizens and residents found to have violated residency, labor, and border security regulations. Penalties varied, including imprisonment, fines, and deportation for violating residents, reflecting the firm enforcement of the law.
These stringent measures are an extension of the intensive security and field campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Interior and its partner agencies to track down and apprehend violators of regulations. These campaigns are of paramount importance in maintaining national security and social stability, as they aim to eliminate negative phenomena related to undocumented workers and border security violations. These efforts are an integral part of the Kingdom's comprehensive strategy to regulate the labor market and ensure that all residents within its borders enjoy proper legal status.
On the economic and social front, these decisions play a pivotal role in protecting the labor market from unfair competition that violators might create, as well as curbing commercial concealment and suspicious financial transactions. Furthermore, border security is a cornerstone in safeguarding the nation's resources and preventing any attempts at infiltration or illegal residency, thus reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a nation that upholds the highest standards of security and sovereignty.
In a related context, the General Directorate of Passports reiterated its strong warnings to all citizens and residents, including business owners and individuals, emphasizing the serious consequences of transporting, employing, or harboring violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations. It stressed that concealing these violators or providing them with any form of assistance, whether in housing, employment, or transportation, constitutes a crime punishable by severe penalties, which may include lengthy prison sentences, substantial fines, public shaming, and confiscation of any equipment used in the violation.
The General Directorate of Passports concluded its statement by urging everyone to cooperate with security authorities, emphasizing that citizens and legal residents are the first line of defense. It encouraged the public to immediately report any suspected violations of residency, labor, and border security regulations by calling the unified security operations number (911) in the Makkah, Riyadh, Eastern Province, and Madinah regions, or (999) in the rest of the Kingdom. The Directorate noted that all reports are treated with complete confidentiality and without any legal liability on the part of the reporter.
