# I cannot Leave Saudi Arabia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824 "2008-07-09T13:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/121 "2008-07-14T16:33:51Z")
Then we use an Exit/Reentry Visa. The difference is the employer does not get permission to bring in another Blue Eyed Foreign Crusader while I am out of town. With the Exit-only, I am taken off his books and he can hire another Western Devil to distort Islamic Culture. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/122 "2008-07-14T16:42:13Z")
Ah, such subtle differences. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/123 "2008-07-14T16:46:40Z")
Did I miss where you say what you do? Iā€™d be interested to know. E3 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/124 "2008-07-14T17:12:44Z")
Take in a ball game, sit behind pretty girls and listen while they talk about the ball players. Go to see the battlefield on the Peninsula. (I have been reading a lot of Civil War stuff of late.) See my broker. See my GP. Visit the Deputy Comptroller of my state. (We were roommates.) Veg out a little. Find a nice fat chicken and roast it. Same with some green peppers with Italian sausage. Eat at a diner. Join the Y for a month. Teach my mom how to shoot. A little of this and that. The new school term starts 1 September, but that is when Ramadan starts, so the school year will begin slowly. I ought to be employed by 1 September. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/125 "2008-07-14T17:21:46Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] I just got a job offer from Sultan Cabose University. (It is NOT in Muscat, some provincial village.) They are offing a lousy 900OMR/month. It must be my haircut, they think I would work cheap. I will make a counter-offer. The exit visa ought to be ready tomorrow afternoon. [/QUOTE] I converted that to 2.3k USD. Whatā€™s the cost of living like there? Also, why are you so intent on staying there? Love? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/126 "2008-07-14T19:06:53Z")
[QUOTE=Desert Nomad] That Israeli sticker will ban you from lots of other countries too, most of the Mid East except maybe Dubai. Also Malaysia. [/QUOTE] Malaysia got rid of that rule ten years ago or so. Israeli citizens can even go there now. Thatā€™s not to say that you wonā€™t get poor treatment by customs but theyā€™ll eventually let you in. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/127 "2008-07-15T15:20:58Z")
OK, still no visa. We need to get it tomorrow or the voices in my head may come back. They tell me to make fires. Job offers roll in. Letā€™s review: 1. Here (after pay cut, for comparison) 26K$ 2. Dammam (KFMMC) 32K$ 3. Oman 32K$ 4. Riyadh (KFU) 38 to 44K$ Gee, what shall I do? Wait for a contract from KFU, methinks. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/128 "2008-07-15T16:24:32Z")
Are those annual salaries? Even with ex-pat tax breaks, Iā€™m surprised that you canā€™t make more in the US. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/129 "2008-07-15T16:29:56Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] Are those annual salaries? Even with ex-pat tax breaks, Iā€™m surprised that you canā€™t make more in the US. [/QUOTE] I suspect something other than salary is keeping Paul there. Alas, he remains mum. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/130 "2008-07-15T16:33:53Z")
Hereā€™s hoping you get that offer from KFU soon. In the meantime, **hajario** , I think itā€™s important to remember that people who choose ex-pat work often find benefits in the distance; and it may be possible that someone living in Saudi can maintain a comfortable life-style while spending less on living expenses, and so the lower salary may still translate to greater savings potential than a higher salary in an over-heated real estate market might. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/131 "2008-07-15T16:38:14Z")
I recall a wonderful explanation of (an matter unrelated to this) in on of J.C.F. Fullerā€™s writings; ā€œ(For) complex psychological reasons we do not fully understand.ā€ I think that sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/132 "2008-07-15T16:43:59Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] OK, still no visa. We need to get it tomorrow or the voices in my head may come back. They tell me to make fires. Job offers roll in. Letā€™s review: 1. Here (after pay cut, for comparison) 26K$ 2. Dammam (KFMMC) 32K$ 3. Oman 32K$ 4. Riyadh (KFU) 38 to 44K$ Gee, what shall I do? Wait for a contract from KFU, methinks. [/QUOTE] Isnā€™t Riyadh more ā€œdangerousā€ for foreigners than the other places, relatively speaking? Is the higher salary worth it? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/133 "2008-07-15T17:04:00Z")
No, it is a British contract. The Brits pay better as a rule. I am still waiting for an offer from a remote (Saudi) helicopter school. The area is so bad that Saudis all make a face when I ask about it. But they are paying a 50% ā€˜nasty place to liveā€™ bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/134 "2008-07-15T17:04:07Z")
Iā€™d take Omanā€¦ Sultan Qaboos University is in Seeb which is basically a suburb of Muscat out by the airport. Have you been to Oman? It is (after Yemen) my favorite place on the Peninsula. Much, much calmer and more scenic than elsewhere in the Gulf. 900 RO is about $2400/mo so if they include housing it is not bad - Muscat is a bunch cheaper than other Gulf cities. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/135 "2008-07-15T18:45:56Z")
Maybe **Paulā€™s** on the lam. Oh no - Iā€™ve said too much! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/136 "2008-07-15T19:31:50Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] In the meantime, **hajario** , I think itā€™s important to remember that people who choose ex-pat work often find benefits in the distance; and it may be possible that someone living in Saudi can maintain a comfortable life-style while spending less on living expenses, and so the lower salary may still translate to greater savings potential than a higher salary in an over-heated real estate market might. [/QUOTE] The engineers that I know that worked in the Gulf in the 90ā€™s made a crap load more money than they would have made here which was the only reason that they did it. Thatā€™s why I was confused. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/137 "2008-07-15T20:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] You have to leave (the country and the employer) to reenter (with a new employer). This is because our visas are tied to our employers. This is the sort of semi-slave system that some American lawmakers want to impose on guest workers. It is sometimes not-so-nice. [/QUOTE] Ehm, thatā€™s exactly the kind of Visa I had when I was in the USA in 2003. So itā€™s already in place. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/138 "2008-07-15T20:55:19Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] The engineers that I know that worked in the Gulf in the 90ā€™s made a crap load more money than they would have made here which was the only reason that they did it. Thatā€™s why I was confused. [/QUOTE] I like the Gulf and would live there for reasons beyond money alone. These days, salaries are not what they used to be and the cost of living is very high because the currencies are all tied to the US Dollar which is in free fall. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/139 "2008-07-15T21:35:48Z")
Good luck on the KFU job, Paul. [QUOTE=ivylass] [QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Gasoline here is US$ 0.65/gallon. [/quote] Boy, are you in for a shock. [/QUOTE] Yep - Gas in the U.S. is up to almost _half_ what we paid in the U.K. last month. [QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Perhaps you need to print out some tracks from the bible, and take up street preaching. [/QUOTE] [nitpick]Tracts, not tracks. The word is tracts.[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824/140 "2008-07-16T03:27:03Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] Maybe **Paulā€™s** on the lam. Oh no - Iā€™ve said too much! [/QUOTE] Nah, if that were the case, heā€™d be in Thailand. šŸ˜ƒ As for the comments elsewhere on Oman, I knew a Brit who spent 18 years there and loved the place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cannot-leave-saudi-arabia/455824.md?page=8)