The crackdown on illegal residents in Saudi Arabia continued last week: the Ministry of Interior arrested 11,587 people for residency, labour and border violations and deported 9,589. The joint field campaigns ran from 29 October to 4 November 2026 across every region of the Kingdom.
The weekly count shows enforcement has not slowed. For expats who are fully legal, the useful part is the detail on who gets caught and why, because a lapsed iqama or a favour to the wrong person can put a law-abiding worker on the wrong side of these numbers.
What the Ministry of Interior reported
Residency breaches made up more than half of the arrests, followed by border and labour cases. Here is the full breakdown released for the week.
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Residency law violations | 6,043 |
| Border security violations | 3,191 |
| Labour law violations | 2,353 |
| Total arrested | 11,587 |
| Caught trying to enter the Kingdom illegally | 1,678 |
| Caught trying to leave the Kingdom illegally | 18 |
| Arrested for transporting, sheltering or employing violators | 29 |
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How many illegal residents in Saudi Arabia are being deported
Arrests are only the first stage. A total of 41,106 violators were going through enforcement procedures at the end of the week, 38,813 men and 2,293 women.
- 23,193 were referred to their embassies or consulates to get travel documents.
- 9,139 were referred to complete their travel bookings.
- 9,589 were deported.
The ministry did not give a nationality breakdown for this week’s border arrests.
How this week compares
The numbers move from week to week but stay high. In the week of 8 to 14 October, the joint campaigns arrested 13,822 people and deported 9,454, as covered in our report on residency and labour law violators. This week shows fewer arrests (11,587) but slightly more deportations (9,589), which means cases from earlier weeks are being closed. With more than 41,000 people still in the process, the flow of deportations is likely to continue at this level for some time.
Who is affected
The campaigns target three groups: people whose residency has lapsed or who entered illegally, workers doing jobs outside their work permit or for an employer other than their own, and anyone who helps them. That last group is where ordinary residents sometimes get caught out.
The ministry repeated that anyone who helps a border violator enter the Kingdom, transports or shelters them, or gives them any other help faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 1 million. The vehicle or home used can be confiscated, and the offender can be named publicly.
What expats should do now
Keep your own status clean and check other people’s before you hire or house them. In practice, the usual traps for legal expats are a renewal left too late or a favour for someone they barely know.
- Check your iqama expiry on Absher. Our guide to the iqama expiry check shows three ways to see the date. Renew in good time and make sure your employer has paid the fees before the date passes.
- Work only within your permit. Side jobs for another company or freelance work without the right licence count as labour violations.
- Verify before you employ. If you hire a driver or a cleaner, confirm their iqama is valid and that they are legally allowed to work for you. For a housemaid or family driver, a transfer through Musaned is the legal route.
- Do not give lifts or rooms to people whose status you do not know. Transporting or housing a violator is treated as a serious crime, even as a one-off favour.
- Report suspected violations. Call 911 in the regions covered by the unified emergency number, including Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, or 999 and 996 elsewhere.
How a legal expat can end up in these numbers
Most people in the weekly count did not plan to break the law. Based on real expat experience in KSA, these are the common ways a legal worker slips into the residency or labour columns:
- An expired iqama that nobody renewed. If the employer delays renewal, the worker is the one stopped at a checkpoint. Keep an eye on the date yourself and remind HR well before it passes.
- A huroob (absconding) report. An employer can file huroob when a worker stops coming to work, and the worker then becomes a violator even with a valid passport. Our huroob guide explains how to check your status and what can be done.
- Working for someone else. The Ministry of Interior says a worker who works for another employer or for his own account faces a fine of up to SAR 50,000, up to six months in jail and deportation, and the employer who allows it faces up to SAR 100,000. Details are in our guide to working for another employer.
- Driving people for money without a licence. Private cars used as taxis are a labour and transport violation. See our report on unlicensed passenger transport.
If your own status has a problem
Do not wait for a field campaign to find you. Check your iqama, any huroob flag and your work permit on Absher and Qiwa first. If your employer has left you without a valid iqama, raise it with them in writing and keep copies. If you plan to leave for good, a final exit visa issued while your iqama is valid is the clean way out, and it avoids the travel and re-entry problems that come with deportation.
What has not changed
These are routine weekly figures, not a new rule. The penalties quoted are the same ones the Ministry of Interior has published for months, and legal residents with valid documents have nothing new to do. The ministry publishes a fresh count most weeks, so expect the campaigns to continue.
Frequently asked questions
How many people did Saudi Arabia deport this week?
9,589 people were deported between 29 October and 4 November 2026, and 11,587 were arrested.
Can I be fined for giving a lift to a violator?
Yes. Transporting or sheltering a violator can bring up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 1 million, even as a one-off favour.
Where do I report a violation?
Call 911 in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, or 999 and 996 in the other regions.