13 January 2016, Saudi Gazette
The Ministry of Labor has warned against selling visas and transferring sponsorship of expatriates on social media saying the culprit can be charged with human trafficking, Makkah newspaper reported.
International Law Professor Abdulsamad Al-Ali said international agreements between countries forbid any form of human trafficking.
“Citizens must know that transferring sponsorship or changing visa status must be done legally through the ministry and through recruitment offices and companies. Posting the expatriate’s visa information and putting it on sale is in itself a human trafficking charge,” said Al-Ali.
He also said expatriates are the easiest type of human trafficking because they are foreigners to the country they are in and they are only protected by Labor Law.
“Many expatriates and sponsors are not educated and unaware of the Labor Law in Saudi Arabia. Sponsors are not aware of the violations they commit and expatriates don’t know what is their right and what is their responsibility,” said Al-Ali.
He also said authorities must not only focus on penalizing violators of the law, they should also focus on raising awareness to prevent violations from happening.