Visa applications from Ireland

It is very easy to hold only requires sending a request via email to request a visa to visit family or business visit or a religious visit for a month that can be extended to 3 months

Thanks Hasan,

I am going to be applying for a work visa for a year and wondered if there was anything I should be aware of before hand that may take some time and sort it out before it becomes an issue:)

I think you already need to have a sponsor i.e. a job to apply for a work visa. Your employer(sponsor) sends you the visa for KSA

Thanks Nomiii,

I will be looking for employment as soon as I figure out Jeddah or Riyadh!! I've been going through the forums and making a list of pros and cons... I made some connections and was chatting via email too but I got locked out so have to wait for that to kick back in:(  I hope those I didn't get to respond to don't think I'm rude not responding!!

I was hoping someone from Ireland who had gone through the process could tell me about the medical and Garda report - might be a hold up there (Ireland is not very efficient in their processess!) maybe I could start thinking about that now to get ahead of myself:)

You're in Khobar..... better than Jeddadh or Riyadh??

Hi Ann, how's it going? As you can probably tell by my user name, I'm from Dublin...

I was offered an English teaching position by an organisation called EduGuide London who are partnered with Al Hussan (an education recruitment agent in Saudi). The position I've been offered is teaching English to first year college students in preparation for higher levels of education. The post is in King Saud University.

The visa process is proving slow, regardless of the fact that the semester began at the beginning of September. EduGuide is currently waiting to see where my visa is in the process at the moment. They stated that because I'm from Ireland the process is different, insofar as they want me to travel there on a work visit visa (temporary work visa) and then have it changed to an Iqama (residency) at a later date between semesters. Therefore, the medical would also take place over there instead of prior to departure. I have heard, from other posts on this forum, that Irish candidates are not considered native English speakers, which is strange, and this is why the process is different for Irish candidates. I haven't heard this anywhere else though so I'm a bit unsure. A bit of advice would be to look into what recruitment organisations offer positions for universities such as Princess Nora University (PNU) or other female universities, there are plenty of female teachers on here who could advise.

I hope this helps somewhat, let me know if it has or if you already knew the information above, as I posted a response, a while ago, regarding the whole visa process, and like you, I appealed to other Irish teachers/potential teachers and/or other expats who were friends of Irish expats but I haven't yielded any results to date. Thanks.

p.s. I was not asked anything about Garda (Irish Police for other expats on here) Clearance when I was interviewed and or discussing the visa process.
P

Yaah... fellow Irish citizen! Thanks for the reply. I'm goggle eyes looking for info just trying to arm myself as much as possible as it's such a huge decision. Yes, I do remember seeing threads about changing work visas to Iqama but was under the impression that the medical would still be done prior to traveling. So when are you due to take up your position? I'm applying for a couple of positions at the moment. One through Skyline Global Solutions, they are looking for several teachers in various locations and one at PNU:)  Also, do you know where you will be staying yet?

Hi again Ann,

I am not entirely sure where I would be staying, other than in Riyadh, near to the Granada Shopping Mall (some massive mall in Riyadh), in an ex-hotel renovated and converted into apartments. I don't know when I'm due to begin my post, as soon as they arrange my work visit visa but this is taking its time. Honestly, I feel slightly in limbo right now. I was advised that the medical only needs to be done prior to travel if an Iqama is being sought. There are setbacks to going on a work visit visa such as needing an Iqama to open a bank account, I'm not too comfortable with this and would much rather arrange my Iqama before travelling. Is Skyline Global Solutions the only organisation that you have been in contact with? I haven't heard of them but I'll have a look now.

Hey Dubliner.... I'm just sending my application literally as we speak. I rang i to i who I am doing the course with and they were not really helpful other than saying I needed an employer first. I noticed from your previous thread that ringing the embassy would probably be helpful.... have you tried this yet?  I'm also going through the eslcafe website to see if there is anything there. It must be difficult not really knowing what's going on!

I've been sourcing jobs through the i to i website and tefl.com

I haven't rang the embassy as of yet...I haven't looked at eslcafe in a while...yeah, it's a nightmare waiting and it doesn't instil a great deal of confidence especially after being sent a preliminary contract/offer...I'll give it another week.

Thanks Ann

Paul

No worries Paul... stay in touch we might end up in the same area:) Hope it all sorts itself out for you 

@Dublin PMQ

As regards Irish people not being considered native English speakers, Article 8 of the Irish Constitution states the following:

The Irish language as the national language is the first official language.
The English language is recognised as a second official language.

This is the basis some countries use for deciding you are not native English speakers. You can see here,

http://www.thejournal.ie/irish-citizens … 2-Aug2012/

that Thailand has also decided to look at things this way, even though most Irish are monolingual English speakers.

However, this is unlikely to be the real reason you are looking at a Work Visit Visa. There are native English speakers being given this temporary visa as well. The most likely reason is that Al Hussan does not have enough proper Employment Visas to go round. They haven't been allocated a sufficient quantity by the Saudi government.

Presumably, you have been offered a one year contract. If your contract is a year you should not be getting a Work Visit Visa. They only last a max of 3 months and are meant for people involved in short term technical activities, such as in the oil industry. As stated here,

http://embassies.mofa.gov.sa/sites/indi … VISA-.aspx

the work period shown in the contract should match the period in the visa. If this is not the case you are violating immigration law.

I don't believe they have any intention of getting you an Iqama. This means you have no job security and no means of getting your money out of the country because you can't get a bank account.

Teachers in Saudi should from the outset have a proper Employment Visa which can be converted to an Iqama on arrival. Anything else is shady, and you risk losing more than you believe you are set to gain.

You are wasting your time calling the embassy as they won't entertain you, the process is for the employer to get the visa / igama approval, this is then sent to the embassy, you have to deal with the only appointed agent for Ireland, google them, the slow part will be the garda certificate as this can take a couple of weeks.
So basically the only thing that you can do is pursue the Garda certificate and get your education certificates certified.
Finally if you have a choice, avoid Riyadh, Jeddah is much much more relaxed.

Hi Somurchu

I think the response said to call the Irish Embassy to enquire but not sure. Also I have been watching the Jeddah vs Riyadh debate closely and I find it quite interesting that those living in Jeddah say stay away from Riyadh and funnily enough those living in Riyadh say stay away from Jeddah! 

I have been compiling a list of pros and cons and I have to say Riyadh is winning in my book!! 

annpreilly wrote:

I have been compiling a list of pros and cons and I have to say Riyadh is winning in my book!! 

When reading different reviews and comparing the pros and cons of living in both cities, keep in mind two main points that will determine your personal lifestyle and needs : 1. Disposable salary, housing (compound or not) and allowances (compound transport, access to the beach, etc. provided) and 2. Religion.

Hi Which Witch... thanks for the reply. I will certainly add those to my list of considerations:)

Riyadh is winning in my book!!

I spend time in both cities, as a man, i love Jeddah as it offers a lot of personal freedoms and has a more mixed population. Riyadh is just too dry in every meaning of the word. As for religion, the only impact that has is if one is Moslem, then Jeddah offers quick and easy access to Makkah.

Hello hi.
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