Spoke too soon….

Apparently my visa may not have been renewed when I went through Saudi immigration on the causeway to Bahrain last Wednesday.   

Today the company visa staff looked at the passport and after considerable muttering and animated discussion in Arabic I was informed they didn’t think the visa had been validated. “Why?”  Says me.  It appears that although I have the outwards and inwards stamps there is no date!  Now they never told me to look for a date entry and why the hell didn’t the immigration official enter a date.  Everywhere else I’ve been the data is part of the stamp.  “What’s is the solution?”  Says me.  I’m informed I will have to leave the country and I’m running out of time!  “No!” Says me.  “There must be another solution?”  More animated discussion and then I’m informed I should go to the Riyadh airport and discuss the matter with the immigration department.  I should check if the officials at the border entered my departure into the computer system.  My response will be to explain to them that I’ve only been in the country two months, on a 6 month business visa that has to be renewed every month.  At the end of the first month they extended the visa without me having to leave the country.  They gave me a piece of paper as proof of the extension for the second month.  So the fact that I have two immigration stamps (exit & entry) on the paper proves I left the country in the second month, despite there being no date entry.  It’s a logical and irrefutable argument…….. But will they accept it?

4 hours later……….

Well the journey to the airport didn’t happen.  Instead, the company visa section took my passport and I thought they were going to fix the problem.  Two hours later my passport was returned.  I thought everything was resolved, but in fact the situation got worse.  After a further two hours I was requested to return to the visa section where I was informed I had to leave by the end of the month (ie this coming Wednesday night).  Reluctantly I advised them I would go to Dubai.  But then I was informed they needed my return UK air ticket to bring forward my return to the UK.  I explained the “very cheap” ticket wasn’t adjustable or refundable.  "Why did I need to go to the UK?  Dubai was closer!"  Then they told me I would have to return to the UK and apply for another visa.  Hell, it was hard enough to get the first visa without trying to get a second!

BUT.  There is always more than one solution.  I subsequently had a discussion with my boss’s local representative.  The problem has been escalated.  My sponsor has “influence” (wastah) and knows the right people.  I’m now told I will not have to leave the country!  The matter should be resolved in two days {Inshallah}.  Funny, I'm not stressed by any of this....... ;-)