1. Home
  2. NRI Digest
  3. Saudi Arabia: IFF helps stranded Joseph to return home

Saudi Arabia: IFF helps stranded Joseph to return home

naeem@coastaldigest.com (Ramesh S Bhandari)
April 9, 2012

josep_buraida

Riyadh, April 9: India Fraternity forum (IFF) Riyadh and Buraida chapter lent a helping hand to stranded Joseph D’souza Kundapur to reach his home country.

Three years ago, Joseph D’souza arrived in an agreement visa for a company based in Al Qassim City (South Province of Saudi Arabia). Joseph’s Family resided in a small town called Emmady a part of North Karnataka’s province.

After completing a year in his job, Joseph had to struggle to receive his salaries. When he completed two years in the company, company was liable totally seven months' salary for Joseph. Joseph’s family is just depended on whatever Joseph is sending money for routine bread.

This entire situation forced Joseph to abscond from his sponsor for work outside in order to feed his family.

A year after his absconding, Joseph appeared before sponsor and requested for passport to return India. However, his sponsor filed a case against Joseph for absconding and handed over passport to the court. The court penalized Joseph to pay SR. 2,700/- (approximately Rs 40,000) for absconding.

In this situation, Joseph approached IFF activists for assistance. IFF activists Abdul Rawoof, Ayaz Krishnapur, Abdul Rasheed, Ishaq Venoor and Usman Kunjattoor attended several meeting with Joseph’s sponsor and lawyers to solve the issue. Also, the Karavali (an NRI organization) financially supported to Joseph and cooperated with IFF to win this case.

Finally Joseph returned home. However, his family’s financial condition is very worst. If anybody wants to support Joseph’s family, Please remit cash to Ashalata D’souza – account number 02682210014821 Syndicate Bank Hemmady – Kundapur – Karnataka.

274130_100002931132547_11646967_n


Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 12,2025

Riyadh, April 12: In a welcome move for Indian expatriates and other foreign residents in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom has introduced a new online service that allows residents to update their passport information without visiting the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat). The service is available through the widely used Absher platform.

This initiative comes as a major time-saver for Indian expats, especially those renewing their passports, as it eliminates the need for lengthy in-person appointments and physical document submissions at Jawazat offices.

Who Can Use the Service?

The online update feature is available to expatriates aged 18 and above. Once a passport is renewed, Indian expats can log in to Absher (via their employers account), navigate to My Services, select Passport, and then access Resident Identity Services to update the relevant information.

A clear photo of the new passport must be uploaded. The system automatically extracts the passport number and expiry date using advanced digital recognition tools.

Before submitting, users are required to pledge that:

  • The old passport has not been lost.
  • There are no reports of absence from work.
  • There are no pending traffic violations linked to the resident's Iqama.
  • There are no security-related restrictions on the expat or the employer.

Important for Indian Families

If family members previously listed on the old passport have been issued individual passports, the online service cannot be used. In such cases, a personal visit to Jawazat is necessary to complete the update.

Likewise, if the passport is lost, the expat must report the loss and update information directly at the Jawazat office. Any misuse or incorrect submission will result in accountability under Saudi law, including potential charges of forgery.

Fee Details

To avail this convenience, a nominal fee of SR69 (including VAT) is applicable for each passport update request.

Why It Matters

With over 2 million Indians living and working in Saudi Arabia, this digital service is expected to ease the bureaucratic burden and save time for thousands of individuals who previously had to navigate crowded offices and long wait times. It also enhances accuracy and ensures smoother processing for both employees and employers.

Indian community associations have welcomed the move, calling it a step forward in digital convenience and administrative efficiency for expatriates.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.