Saudi to Grant Citizenship to Scholars

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 5--Saudi King Abdullah has given the green light to granting citizenship to foreign residents with scientific qualifications, the interior minister was quoted by official media as saying.

The king agreed to "granting Saudi citizenship to a number of applicants who have scientific qualifications ... and who will hopefully contribute to the country's development," Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said.

Authorities in oil-rich Saudi Arabia began receiving applications for citizenship in May 2005, a few months after the cabinet approved an amended naturalization law that made it tougher for permanent residents to acquire Saudi citizenship.

Unofficial estimates put at one million the number of residents potentially eligible for citizenship of the kingdom, where there are more than six million expatriates, mostly Asian, out of a population of 22.6 million.

The country does not allow dual nationality.

Expatriates seeking citizenship look to breaking free of the "sponsorship" rules, whereby they can only work if they have a local sponsor, or "kafeel."

The amendments to the nearly 50-year-old legislation approved by the cabinet in 2004 require a resident to have lived permanently in Saudi Arabia for 10 years before qualifying to apply for citizenship under certain conditions.

This doubled the previous requirement of five years.

The interior ministry also set up a system of points, based on criteria such as academic qualification and length of residence, to grant citizenship.

In addition, applicants must present a certificate from the preacher of their local mosque that they regularly attend the Muslim place of worship.