By DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWS
Published: Jan 12, 2012
JEDDAH: Despite the general idea about expatriates making fortunes because they work in Saudi Arabia or other GCC countries, many foreigners state that “all gains from GCC countries are all lost.” Arab News spoke to a number of expatriates living in Saudi Arabia, who talked about their experience after long years of work outside their countries.
Hassan Al-Youssef, a Syrian engineer working in Jeddah for the past 27 years, confirmed that his financial situation was good, but that he was not as wealthy as many of his relatives thought. “Most of my relatives in Syria think that I get a high salary and keep it in the bank. They sometimes say, ‘Why don’t you return to Syria? What are you going to do with all that money?’ They ask these questions without being sure about my real financial status. They imagine me very rich, but the truth is I’m not,” he said.
As many expatriates who live in Saudi Arabia and have families, Hassan spends a big share of his income on his family’s needs.
“I am a father of five — four of them study in private schools and universities. I pay about SR30,000 a year for my children’s education. In addition, I pay SR60,000 for my son, who studies medicine in Egypt. Besides education, expatriates also pay a high amount of money on rents, as they are not allowed to own homes in the Kingdom,” he said.
Hassan confirmed that in his country he might receive a lower salary, but he wouldn’t be required to pay high school fees or rent a home.
“If I were living in Syria, I would have my own home. In addition, my son would study in a Syrian public university for free,” he said.
Ibrahim Mu’tasim Billah, a Sudanese bank employee living in Riyadh for 20 years, said he gained as much money in Saudi Arabia as he spent on his family expenses. “We come to GCC countries in order to make a fortune, but once we have a family we start thinking how to raise that family in good circumstances and offer them a good life,” he said.
Ibrahim added, “When I came to Saudi Arabia, my aim was to stay for maximum five years to gather money and return to Sudan. After spending the first year in Riyadh, I decided to marry and continue my life here.”
Azzam Al-Azizat, a Jordanian doctor who has been living in Makkah for the past 30 years, confirmed that his conception about emigration had changed after his long years in Saudi Arabia.
“My plan was to accumulate money to live well, educate my children, and establish a project in Amman. During the first few years of living in Makkah, I earned a good amount of money and bought a home in Amman. After having two kids, it became more difficult to make ends meet,” he said.
He added, “Most educated expatriates come to Saudi Arabia for a monthly salary of SR5,000. This was considered enough 30 years ago, but now it is not anymore.”
According to Azzam, salaries of expatriates stayed fixed for long years, despite the prices increasing.
“For the past 30 years, my salary has not increased, while my family became bigger and their expenses increased. That is why the money I gained was not enough,” he said.
He added, “To manage with the difficult lifestyle in Saudi Arabia and to offer good education and a living environment, I canceled most of my future projects in Amman. Recently, my father called and blamed me for not owning a real estate or project in Amman. He though I had gathered a big amount of money and saved it in Saudi banks. He does not know the truth of my financial crisis.”
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