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Arabia
Experts Among Expats May Get Soddy Citizenship
2004-09-27
Saudi Arabia is likely to grant citizenship to long-serving expatriate workers having high scientific qualifications and rare expertise under a new law to be passed shortly by the Council of Ministers. "The revised citizenship law will be passed by the Cabinet shortly after it has been endorsed by the Shoura Council and reviewed by the Interior Ministry and the Cabinet's committee of experts," said Nasser ibn Hamad Al-Hanaya, assistant deputy interior minister for civil affairs.

However, the official did not say when exactly the Cabinet would pass the much-awaited law. The newly revised law has taken into consideration family relations as citizenship will be given to applicants whose father or mother or most brothers are Saudi. "It has also taken care of the Kingdom's need for people having scientific qualifications and rare specialization," Okaz Arabic daily quoted Al-Hanaya as saying. The new law gives the interior minister the authority to grant citizenship to the children of naturalized Saudis when they reach adulthood, while giving citizenship to their father, if they fulfill necessary conditions. It also allows authorities to give citizenship to a foreign woman whose Saudi husband has died and has given birth to his children. On May 9, the Shoura Council passed the relaxed law, which allows foreigners who have been living in the Kingdom for at least 10 years to apply for Saudi citizenship.
Posted by:Fred

#11  Will the foreigner/citizens be able to get some of that money for marrying someone with special needs? Will the men amongst them be allowed the traditional four full-time wives plus a couple extra weekenders? Enquiring minds want to know!
Posted by: trailing wife   2004-09-27 10:24:33 PM  

#10  Who in thier right mind would want to be a cetizen of Saudi?
Posted by: Raptor   2004-09-27 7:42:16 PM  

#9  SH---the most important qualification is that you give generously to the terrorist outfit charity of your choice.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-09-27 5:21:50 PM  

#8  Screw the citizenship. What does it take to qualify as a royal family member?
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-09-27 4:56:08 PM  

#7  Have 'em meet you on a cruise ship. I hear they're purdy safe, and you can always kill 'em if they get touchey on 'ye.
Posted by: Festus   2004-09-27 4:45:19 PM  

#6  A4724 - Of course, though you don't specify it, you'r referring to Western WYMYN married to Saudis - the reverse would not happen within Saudi Arabia - and the number of unattached Saudi wymyn outside Saudi is infinitesimally small (though I actually know one, heh).

Lots of "ifs" betwixt now and then, so I'm not holding my breath. But there is a strange satisfaction that comes from taking their money - and then spending it in Thailand and Singapore and the US, heh. They will have to accept remote development this time - something they wouldn't accept in April 2003, so my exit was thus assured. If they grow up enough to handle that, well, I might just give it a whirl. Appreciate your POV - the place is truly a hellhole on every level - but I won't live there, again, no matter what. Might not even go for a quick meeting - maybe make them meet me in Bahrain. But, as I said, lots of things between here and there - prolly won't work out anyway.

Grins, heh. :-)
Posted by: .com   2004-09-27 4:15:22 PM  

#5  .com,
Are you sure you want to go back to the area? Please reconsider.

#3...there are no jews (legally) in Saudi Arabia. However, my son went to school with a child whose mother was jewish and father was Christian.
This is going to sound really bad but most of the westerners married to saudis, at least the ones I met, deserve to be citizens of that country. I hope that they are forced to renounce their american citizenship to become saudi.
Posted by: Anonymous4724   2004-09-27 4:03:56 PM  

#4  Lol - Killer comments, lol!

Ship, I may be going back - but not to SA, just the region... prolly either Bahrain or UAE. Mebbe I can hook up with Gentle, heh. There are some personnel shuffles afoot and one particular move would make this a possibility. I'll believe it when it's real and the check clears, etc.
Posted by: .com   2004-09-27 2:25:20 PM  

#3  And if they're Joooos?
Posted by: Frank G   2004-09-27 2:11:58 PM  

#2  This or 50 dollars buys you a Saudi passport...
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-09-27 2:09:00 PM  

#1  PD? Reconsidering?
Posted by: Shipman   2004-09-27 2:07:03 PM  

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