Information regarding the possibility for an Ethiopian to be granted permanent residence status. [SAU5172]

Nationals from North Yemen are exempted from the requirement of obtaining the sponsorship of a Saudi national, which all other foreigners need to allow them to work and live in Saudi Arabia. [ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), p.1489.]

There are over 250,000 resident foreigners who reportedly fled from countries, notably Palestinians, Afghans, Eritreans, Somalis, South Yemenis and Lebanese in Saudi Arabia. [Ibid.] These groups do not receive any special treatment or privileges, but may remain in Saudi Arabia if they can get a native sponsor and find work. Another source reports that in 1985, the total expatriate population in Saudi Arabia, based on the number of residence permits required, was estimated at approximately 3,522,700. [The Middle East and North Africa 1989, Thirty-Fifth Edition, (London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1989), p.720.]

Saudi Arabian regulations do not have provisions for tourist visas, and consequently those wishing to travel to the country must either produce a letter of invitation from an employer or a Saudi sponsor, before a visa will be issued. [Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1989, vol.2. (Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989), p.1081.] The Saudi sponsor is responsible for holding the passport, granting permission for travel out of the city of employment or abroad, for change of employment possibilities and, for obtaining exit visas for the foreigner being sponsored. [Ibid.]

The U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices mentions that occasionally, individual Saudis (frequently members of the ruling family) permanently sponsor individual refugees or displaced persons, to enable them to remain in Saudi Arabia and find work where they may. [DOS 1988, p.1489.] However, the same report states that "in some cases, foreigners who have worked in Saudi Arabia for many decades and who may have no country to which they may return, find themselves required to leave the country immediately if demanded by their employers or upon retirement". [ U.S. State Department, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989, Washington: U.S. Government Printers, February 1990, p.1560.]

Attached please find excerpts from the following documents:
The Middle East and North Africa 1989, Thirty-Fifth Edition, London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1989, pp.720,723.
Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1989, vol.2. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989, p.1081.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989, Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989, pp. 1554-1560.