AS it is not easy for an expatriate in the Kingdom to sponsor a house maid, many opt to have a part-time helper rather than a full-time live-in maid. A full-time maid, however convenient, is also too expensive for some to afford. “Not having a housemaid bothers me, especially when I am not feeling well or when I was pregnant. Husbands in our society do not help their wives with house work as they do not want to be thought of as the ‘wife's servant',” said Ambreen Rana, wife of a web designer. She further said that she comes from a rich family and had never done a single household chore before marriage. “We had many servants in my father's home, but here, my husband cannot even apply for a maid's visa as he is not eligible,” Rana lamented. There are several overstayers in Jeddah who offer their services for domestic help. However, their services are not only illegal and expensive, but unreliable as well. Incidents of corruption committed by illegal have been widely reported in the past. “Indeed, there are pros and cons on hiring an illegal housemaid but we do not have any other option, since it is not easy for us as expatriates to bring a housemaid into the Kingdom,” said an Egyptian housewife. “It is difficult to keep a check on them especially in the event of household items being broken or regarding the problems of theft,” she added. Two million of the seven million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are domestic helpers. Official figures indicate that around 20,000 housemaids arrive in the Kingdom every month on employment visas and thousands of housemaids in the Kingdom run away from their employers every year and seek refuge at their countrymen's homes and embassies. Abdul Hakeem, a freelance legal representative, said that accountants, engineers, legal advisers, doctors and those holding managerial professions who belong to grade one categories had been eligible to apply for a housemaid's visa. However, currently only businessmen and investors can apply. “There are many obstacles involved in expatriates bringing housemaids from another country, such as, a guarantee of salary, the sponsor's assurance and capacity to fulfill all the requirements. Also, it is possible that the expatriate may return to his country and abandon the housemaid in the Kingdom,” he said. Madiha Aslam, a teacher, said that expatriate working women should be allowed to bring in a housemaid, as it is difficult to manage housework and job simultaneously. “I want a housemaid so that she can take care of my home and children. But in spite of having my Iqama sponsored by my place of work (school) which proves that I am a working woman, it is not possible for me to get a maid,” she said. However, with the installation of the new finger printing system at the Fingerprinting Department at the Expatriates Follow-up Administration in Jeddah last year, many illegal workers have been deported. According to a news report, the number of illegal workers, deported on a daily basis is 1000 on average. Amer Al-Gobba, general manager of Al-Gobba recruitment agency said that finger printing is a good step. He said, “Since, the Iqama fees for domestic helpers have been reduced; and finger printing, at the time of exit of illegal expatriates, has minimized their re-entering the Kingdom, we have found that more people are interested in bringing in domestic help in a legal way through managing agents.” He further adds that “interested expatriates also come to us, but usually they are not able to fulfill all the official requirements and are disappointed when we inform them that their profession is not eligible to sponsor a housemaid”. Hala Nasir, an Egyptian housewife, whose husband is a doctor, said that when it is not possible for expatriates to bring in a housemaid legally, they are tempted to consider the services of illegal residents. Even, if an expatriate profession makes him eligible to apply for a housemaid, he may not be able to afford one. An applicants' minimum salary must be above SR6,000, attested by the Chamber of Commerce along with a no objection letter from the Consulate General. “My husband earns SR4000 per month. We regularly send money to our in-laws back home and have to cope with other expenses somehow. All these responsibilities make it difficult to afford a housemaid so we opt to employ the services of part-timers,” said Nasir. The part-time housemaid is someone who already lives in the Kingdom and is not sponsored by the individual for whom she works. In the majority of cases, these part-timers are illegal workers who have come to the Kingdom and run away from their sponsors. It has been observed that there are a number of Saudis who sponsor housemaids and drivers, but rather than have the maid or driver work for them, they prefer to collect a monthly fee from them in return for the sponsorship. These individuals are then free to find their own work in the Kingdom. Abdul Qudoos Khan, an IT engineer, said that “If you want to engage a part-time housemaid in the Kingdom, irrespective of whether she is legal or illegal, one needs to be prepared to pay an hourly rate and usually a higher rate than that of having a full time housemaid.” “The average going rate for a part-time housemaid is SR30 per hour. Some housemaids will accept a daily rate and agree to work until an entire house is cleaned to satisfaction. These rates can vary,” he added. “Meanwhile,” he continued, “back home, it is very easy to find domestic help within our budget. Women are relieved of housework to some extent. However, they choose to live with their husbands here and put up with all the household chores by themselves,” Khan said. Indeed, runaway maids who seek work illegally are employed by some Saudi nationals as well as by expats. However, such an arrangement could be risky as these maids are neither legal nor reliable, and the employer could be punished. Basha Nawaz Khan, an international legal expert said that if any expatriate, gives shelter to an illegal housemaid, he will be punished under the Saudi Arabian criminal laws. This may result in a two or three-month prison sentence followed by deportation. He must also pay the illegal housemaid's air ticket to her country. Once detained, the housemaid will be deported, and with the installation of the new fingerprinting system at the Fingerprinting Department at the Expatriates Follow-up Administration, any future attempts to return to the Kingdom will be in vain.
