Forced out by the Crown Prince’s reforms, a wave of Egyptians arrive in Turkey

In 2008 Mariam Ahmed and her family set off east from her homeland Egypt and landed in Saudi Arabia where they became part of the Kingdom’s two million strong Egyptian expat community.

Lured by the promise of a salary up to six times its equivalent in Egypt, Mariam recalls her life in the Gulf country as “stable” and “safe.”

Then the war on Yemen began and everything changed.

…. As of 2017 expatriates working for the private sector were obliged to pay 100 riyals a month for dependents, which included minors and unemployed relatives, a figure that is set to rise each year until 2020.

…. This, in combination with a levy on companies that employ foreign workers, pushed an exodus of overseas employees to leave the Country.

…. With the foreigners out Saudi has implemented a number of “Saudisation” programmes to push nationals into private sector jobs and reduce unemployment.

“The government raised the Saudi workers’ salaries and replaced the foreigner with a Saudi, even if he is not qualified for the job,” complains Mariam.

… With the political situation in Egypt highly repressive and the economy at an all-time low, Mariam, Rasha and Soumaya decided not to go home, but to Turkey instead. They are part of a growing number of Egyptian families who have settled in the country.

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