Some expats in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are having difficulty authenticating their academic qualification credentials, particularly for visa renewal in professional job categories that need specific qualifications. The Saudi government has put in place a flawless mechanism to combat document fabrication and counterfeiting, making it essential for expats to check their qualification certificates and enroll in professional groups in order to renew their visas.
Despite the tight precautions, some people are attempting to submit fake degrees, which has serious implications. An Indian expatriate from Telangana was recently convicted to one year in prison, fined 5,000 Saudi Riyals, and risked deportation after serving his sentence. While working as an engineer in the country, the guy presented a forged engineering degree from Osmania University.
Similar incidents have been documented among South Asian expatriates, therefore this is not an unusual incident. The Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) is attempting to expedite the certification process for such diplomas and is actively referring foreigners with forged documents to public prosecution.
To avoid such incidents, the Saudi missions in India have instituted professional assessments for 70 different technical vocations before issuing visas. Furthermore, Saudi immigration authorities are taking strong action against individuals who return to the Kingdom after extended absences, including for religious pilgrimages such as Haj or Umrah, if they are proven to be in possession of counterfeit passports.
Previously, several expats in the health field obtained work by falsifying documents and claiming better qualifications than they actually held. The government, on the other hand, have made effective measures to identify and eliminate such cases.
The Saudi government’s efforts to ensure that expatriates have appropriate qualifications for their professional responsibilities aim to preserve the workforce’s integrity and improve the country’s overall employment standards.
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