I am writing with regard to the report “Thousands arrested on first day of crackdown (Nov. 5). There would be no illegal workers if there were no Saudi employers who make use of the labor of these workers, who are most definitely underpaid as compared to documented workers. The crackdown on illegal workers should not just focus on the workers, who are often victims of illegal recruitment themselves, but also on unscrupulous Saudi employers. KMA, Online response II. Allah save us from kafeels! Whatever I earned in one year, my kafeel took from me in return for three Iqama transfer papers. We are so helpless. We can't even lodge a complaint against their cruelty. Ali, Online response III. The truth is that the Passport Department has been unable to complete our work on time which is absolutely not the fault of expatriates. We expatriates are bound to follow the laws of the country. The process of work at the Passport Department and all other offices where official transactions take place must also be taken into consideration. Although we have applied for rectification of our residential status, our Iqamas are not in our hands yet. Many of us have submitted our documents a couple of months ago and have paid the amount required. The Passport Department has failed to complete the task and we are not responsible for that. I don't know what will happen if we are caught. Nadim Khan, Online response IV. I don't understand how people can say that they were unable to rectify their status due to the slow work of the Passport Department. The company I work for transferred almost 40 employees and the transfer didn't take more than one week. It means that if the company is in the green category and an employee's previous sponsor gives the approval for the transfer, there should be no problem. You can't expect the Saudi government to wait for you forever. It's an act of kindness that they have given expatriates six months to rectify their status. Look at some other countries who throw people out in one day without notification. Abdullah Khan, Online response
