Expats In Saudi Arabia Would Rather Stay Than Repatriate

Foreign expatriates living and working in Saudi Arabia are rejecting repatriation.

As expats across the world flee their countries of residences’ increasing coronavirus infection rates, foreign citizens in Saudi Arabia are more than happy to stay where they are. The Kingdom’s immediate reaction to the pandemic was to introduce sensible measures to slow its spread as well as ensuring a safe environment for its residents. As a result, many expats have decided to stay in the Kingdom rather than repatriate to their home countries.

At the end of March, King Salman issued an order opening up coronavirus treatment without charge to all residents including overstayers trapped in the region. The ruler’s generosity and concern for all those under his jurisdiction allowed expats and their families to feel secure in their decision to stay, rather than risking relocation to their increasingly chaotic home countries. According to a video on the UK Mission of Saudi Arabia’s social media platform, the US Ambassador urged the American expat community to ‘shelter in place’, advice which was happily taken by the majority of USA expats.

The envoy added the kingdom’s medical system is functioning well, the emergency services are sound and food supplies are adequate for the entire population at this time. For expat employees, their schedules were swiftly modified to protect their work/life balances, with working from home and time for shopping before the curfew begins causing no issues in the community. Although the British authorities organised a repatriation flight, very few Brit expats were interested in returning home at this time, and Saudi’s entire expatriate community is secure in the knowledge that the ruler and his government are doing all they can to protect all residents in the Kingdom.