FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Oct 6, 2015 19:44:03 GMT
o all,
Just thought I'd give all new hires a few helpful hints that only pertain to engineers.
First, for the following to be true, your actual le at Aramco must be "Engineer".
Now, what I am going to say was conveniently left out by my recruiter and relocation adviser prior to departure, and became a not-so-nice surprise during orientation in Kingdom.
1. You must attain certification from the Saudi Engineering Council prior to being issued an Iqama. They will not give you the Iqama until you receive that certification. This was conveyed to me by the Adviser, but the next parts were not...
2. In order to get the Saudi Engineering Council certification you must remit a payment, between 1,250 SAR and 2,800 SAR, depending on the country your degree was attained within, and the level of engineer you are being certified for (there are four levels). This is due immediately, but will be reimbursed. This must also be paid in cash.
3. Before applying for the Saudi Engineering Council certification you must have a Saudi Arabian cell phone number to receive text notifications, an email address (preferably Aramco but not required), and a Saudi Arabian mailing address. This means you need to get a Saudi sim card, and set up your mailbox as soon as you get here to avoid delays. The email address is usually set up the day following your two-day orientation.
4. When you apply for your Saudi Engineering Council certification you will need electronic copies of your educational documents (including a copy of your actual diploma-bachelors only). Plus electronic copies of your passport ID page, entry stamp, visa, authorization letter (given at orientation), offer letter, Résumé (CV) and clearance letter.
5. Fill it all out carefully on their website, because any errors what-so-ever will lead to a rejection which will hold up your Iqama being issued. And you will quickly come to find out you can't really do anything until you get that Iqama... So come prepared.
Good luck.
-CT
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Post by CanadianBacon on Oct 7, 2015 4:50:11 GMT
I can add a few things that I remember from going through this:
1) During your orientation you may be introduced to a fellow named (names of other people are not allowed to be posted on this forum, unless specific permission from that person is received and stated - VP), who works for Aramco. He is the liaison between Aramco and the Saudi Council of Engineers, and he is a ninja when it comes to cutting through all the red tape of getting your application processed. He is super helpful so don't be afraid to reach out to him.
2) When you arrive at the airport, you receive a photocopy of your passport to use temporarily until you get your real passport back. Written on this paper is a number, in Arabic, called your border number. You need to get this number translated to English for your SCE application; This liaison did mine for me.
3) Not all bank machines accept payments; some only do withdrawals. One place that has a machine that takes payments is in the Al-Mujjamma building. If you are standing in front of the security desk, the machine is on your left.
4) Once you receive your Iqama, you have to upload the info to the SCE website. At that point you will have to make yet another payment, this time for SR100. Don't forget this last step.
5) When you are uploading a photo of yourself to the SCE website, it has to be exactly at the resolution they specify (I think its 200 x something). I used the Windows Paint program to rescale mine; the proportions are all weird and it looks ridiculous, but they accepted it so I consider that a victory.
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Post by omega on Nov 1, 2015 11:15:53 GMT
In point (4) above in the OP,the need for a 'clearance letter' is mentioned. Is this letter something provided upon orientation? What does it refer to?
Also is the registration with SEC something that is delaying a bit the Iqama issuance, or is the SEC process running concurrently with the Iqama one, so no real delay after all? If there is some delay, how long is a reasonable wait for an Engineer to get his Iqama?
Thanks.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Nov 1, 2015 12:38:55 GMT
I'm not sure about a clearance certificate. Maybe it is an employment certificate? You can print those out yourself once you have an Aramco logon through HR Online.
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FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Nov 7, 2015 19:49:03 GMT
Yes, the SCE clearance will slightly delay your Iqama process. They will not even send your Iqama out for processing until you have the approval from the SCE first. Your "clearance letter" is the letter they send you just prior to departing, that states you have met all contingencies. I must admit, I still have not actually rendered it for anything in the process, but was told to hold onto it...
ALSO, I must state, if you are coming out of the Houston office, there is a huge freakin' problem plaguing all engineers going through there right now. They are putting all engineers on a general "Engineer" visa block. As a result your official le in Kingdom will be "Engineer", and that is what will be listed on your Iqama. Where this becomes an immediate problem is, if you elect (or are forced) to delay your families arrival. If you delay the family, then you will have to peion for a resident visa for your family in Kingdom... However, that process requires that an Engineers le on the Iqama match your degree, or they will reject the Visa. Before anyone chimes in on this to say that is not true... You are wrong. The rules have changed, and there is a dozen people screwed right now, including myself. And the number is growing weekly as people arrive. All those effected will have to change their le (a lengthy process) before they will be able to apply for their families visa. If your family arrived with you or your Iqama doesn't say "Engineer" only, then consider yourself very lucky and ignore this rant.
-CT
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Post by omega on Nov 8, 2015 5:45:38 GMT
Thanks for the clarification.
So if I understand correctly, you didn't have to use the clearance letter for the SCE registration, right? All in all, how long is a reasonable wait to get an iqama for an engineer (considering the extra step with SCE)?
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Post by mkimtiaz on Nov 9, 2015 14:54:51 GMT
SEC registration was a quick process for me as I had everything ready and scanned before I left to KSA, it took just one day for initial approval and you just need the confirmation of second payment to get your Iqama. I would suggest to go through the details of documents required for SEC registration including the file size and photo requirements (it has to be 200 x 200, I got it done through some online tool, I uploaded my pic and it converted to 200x200 resolution). You will also require a letter from Aramco and you can get it on your first day of orientation from the lady conducting the orientation. You will also have to print one letter/form from SEC website, sign it then scan it back to upload at SEC website, for that as well I asked the lady to print and scan after I signed the form, don't be shy and ask for any help during your orientation to speed up the process, I did all that on first day of orientation and submitted the application same day and got my initial approval on second day of orientation, after that I submitted the print out of email I received from SEC confirming second payment and also the print out of profile page at SEC website to passport department and they started the process of Iqama. I hope this helps you and others in process and wish you good luck.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Nov 9, 2015 16:53:30 GMT
I can only comment on the iqama. It's been almost two years since I sent my documents to the SCE. Still not finally approved. No problem with the iqama. As long as your payments are current, they seem to be very happy. I am told the SCE is actually managed by a company out of Dubai. Seems a bot odd. Unless you are submitting a fake degree, the SCE is the least of your worries. Worst case SA HR changes your job le to remove the word "engineer". I don't think it is that hard. I can tell you the word "consultant" costs a lot more money. You have to pay yearly to keep your SCE approval current. Mark the date on your calendar. I recommend you download a Hijri/Gregorian conversion app. You will need it until you leave on final departure.
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Post by omega on Nov 9, 2015 19:20:42 GMT
Thank you all for your input; much appreciated!
I have scanned all documents and I (think) am ready. I hope making the extra scans needed (i.e. scanned copy of entry stamp, SEC and aramco letter) as well as the printouts of payments and SEC profile wont prove to be troublesome.
Thank you all again.
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FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Nov 10, 2015 10:30:07 GMT
Sorry for my late reply. I'm my case it took a little longer just because of the cash requirement. My bank gave me all kinds of trouble when I got in Kingdom. But once I got the money thing sorted out it took only 2 days to get the SCE approval. But be sure to tell the engineering liaison about your approval right away. You'll meet him in orientation.
-CT
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Post by omega on Nov 18, 2015 15:59:48 GMT
Somewhat urgent: I started the registration and in the Personal Information section it asks for my Arabic Name. Any suggestions? Has anyone else encountered that? And if so what's the remedy?
In the same section it asks for my contact details. Again has anyone else seen that before? As this was not discussed earlier in the thread I'm just worried that something has gone wrong in the registration process.
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PCPC
Member
Posts: 37
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Post by PCPC on Nov 18, 2015 17:41:26 GMT
On my home there is a directory tab. Write your username, details will appear including your name in Arabic. If this is not possible email the personnel guys who came at your orientation specific to SCE matter.
You can give me a shout at Khanam1g.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Nov 19, 2015 3:41:09 GMT
I wanted to ask about the requirement to have a Saudi mailing address for the SCE approval. Will they accept an Aramco address or must it be a Saudi Post address? If the latter, this could become an infinite loop. Many government services are beginning to require a Saudi Post address and this is a serious problem. Saudi Post does not recognize Aramco addresses. On top of that, Dhahran camp (I have not checked others) is not sufficiently divided in many places to register with Saudi Post. The Hills is especially bad but even Main Camp has issues. Duplex houses only have one SP address assigned for both houses. Bachelor housing (say 12 units in one building, for example) only has one address for the entire building. I was looking in the Hills and the outer portion of Sharar Circle and most of Tanajib Circle (dozens of houses) are all one SP address. Only one person can register a SP address so if you don’t register first, you can’t register at all. To circumvent this problem, some people whose address is already taken will register the address of someone else because apparently SP doesn’t care whether it is your actual address or not as long as you have a registered address. The SP address is registered against your iqama so, without an iqama, no address.
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Post by CanadianBacon on Nov 19, 2015 4:43:27 GMT
I just checked my file at the SCE, and my address is listed as my Aramco PO Box address.
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