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Post by kiterunner88 on Jul 8, 2015 5:40:56 GMT
I just received a job offer. During the negotiation, Aramco Recruitment asked me about my marriage status. I have a daughter but I was never married to her mother, nor do I live with her. Being the financially stable parent, I had the child custody. The job offer that I received is silent about the benefits of qualified dependents, I am starting to wonder if I would be receiving the privileges of a single parent (if there is any).
Can anyone please enlighten if a single father like me would be able to bring my very young daughter to Saudi Arabia when I finally join Aramco? Thanking in advance.
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stmayo11
Senior Member
ExPats Community Moderator
Posts: 159
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Post by stmayo11 on Jul 11, 2015 7:52:44 GMT
Non-married applicants are considered single. It's my understanding the single status employees do not normally have the right to bring dependents. There may be a chance if you have full custody. You should probably make your recruiter aware of this situation immediately if you do have full custody (not joint or shared custody) of your child and you want her to be able to stay with you. I'm not sure if they can accommodate this situation or not.
Admittedly, I'm not 100% certain on this situation. If anyone else on here knows more about this type of situation, please jump in and set me straight.
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Post by vpainter on Jul 15, 2015 16:49:03 GMT
There are no Single Parent's Privileges. Unless you can get an exception to the policy: Single status men cannot bring any dependents. Children only come when the wife comes. A user a year or so ago had the same issue. His daughter was 17 and he had full custody. He ended up having to wait to come to Aramco until his daughter went to college. He was not allowed to bring her.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Jul 16, 2015 2:56:27 GMT
Exceptions are rare. Since this is a large company, HR prefers that the same policy applies to everyone. Giving an exception here or there could open the floodgates.
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FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Aug 10, 2015 8:28:20 GMT
I will add my two cents about this. I am currently in the relocation process right now, and one question I posed to the the Aramco adviser was if I could bring the children over with me, and have my wife follow later (note, I am married). Their answer was quite simple. They said during the "initial" relocation, children are not allowed to relocate without the mother accompanying them. Furthermore, I probed this statement and was told it's not only contingent on the mother. They said both parents/ guardians must be in KSA concurrently or before the children's arrival, but at a minimum, the mother must be with them when they step off the plane. I then probed this even farther, and asked what happens in the case that one parent (implying my wife) leaves permanently or dies while the family is in KSA. They said nothing happens, and you are allowed to stay under family status. They said the restriction only applied to the initial move into kingdom. Now, I did not ask about requesting a child to accompany a parent after the initial move is complete. That would have been one detail worth asking, but it was not one of my personal considerations at the time when I was asking. Hope that helps a little.
-CT
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Post by vpainter on Aug 10, 2015 9:38:27 GMT
Men are not allowed to have children here in residence if they are on bachelor/single status. The children can come visit, but not live here.
Only if the family is here and the wife dies does a man get to keep his kids in residence.
Wives and kids do not get to stay if their husbands die here, they have a set period of weeks to exit.
Women are not allowed to have family status if they are the employee. This has been requested over and over again by ladies on this forum. The answer is always no.
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Post by detfans on Aug 10, 2015 9:51:07 GMT
I think the previous remark should be verified. We were told (and is posted everywhere in the forum) that wife needs to be in kingdom at least six months to retain family status. Aramco have ways to check on that, and according to what I've heard from fellow coworkers they are very strict about. So, I don't know how the wife leaving permanently would work.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Aug 10, 2015 10:22:19 GMT
You have to maintain family status to live in family housing and receive family benefits such as EAP for school. Yes they are strict at this point. A few years ago they were not so strict on the housing part but did check carefully if you got EAP. With the MOI going electronic, it is very easy to be checked up on. Now, with family housing at a premium, HR will definitely look at everyone. If you get EAP benefits paid and fail to meet family status, they will take the money back from you. I know of a few cases personally. I have said this before and will repeat it. Whenever you travel and return - even with the causeway, always check eserve website and make sure your wife is in Kingdom. Just because she is physically here, it doesn't mean they know she is here.
I know of one case where a family was here and the parents divorced and the wife left and the father and kids remained on family status. That would only be possible with a waiver.
Losing family status can have serious consequences up to termination. I think there is a little leeway depending on how egregious the offence is. Downright lying to Aramco results in the worst result. I have been told that they do look at circumstances and don't penalize families who miss the requirement a little bit but are not trying to flaunt the rules. I would not want to test that however or, if some family or medical issue arises requiring extra time out, I would go to HR and just explain the situation. Better to ask for permission than forgiveness.
By the way, the policy is not that the wife must be here for six months. She must not be OOK for more than 180 days in a calendar year. I know that is only 5 days difference but they are 5 very important days.
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