JEDDAH, Oct 12(Arab News):  An increasing number of expatriates in the Kingdom unable to bring their wives into the country because they are classed as “ineligible” for family visas are taking second wives.

According to Ulfat, who works as a matchmaker in the expatriate community, many Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian and Bangladeshi expatriates who do low-level jobs and are banned from bringing their families into Saudi Arabia, wish to marry Indonesian women who work as housemaids or are overstayers on Umrah visas.

Sadly, a lot of these men divorce their second wives when it is time for them to return to their home countries. “Indonesian women are seen as the least demanding of expatriate women in the Kingdom, while Pakistani or Indian women will put some conditions,” said Ulfat.

In most cases, Indonesian women who are maids or Umrah visa overstayers forfeit all their rights, so a husband doesn’t even need to provide a home for them. They’ll just visit their husbands on their day off.”

According to Ulfat, most Indonesian women who marry laborers are aware of their husbands’ intention to divorce them when they go back home for good.

“Soon after the divorce they remarry,” said Ulfat. “This is their way of surviving until it is time for them to return to Indonesia, as they too stay for several years. Some of them have no way but to abandon their babies when they are divorced.”

Ulfat added that Indonesian women who marry Indonesian men usually do not divorce and they go back to their country together.

“Marriages between expatriate men and overstaying women or maids are normally not legalized in Saudi courts because the couples cannot produce authentic documents,” explained Ulfat.

“Instead, they use the service of unregistered religious scholars from their communities to solemnize the wedding ceremony,” she added.

Pakistani expatriate Hatim, who works as a driver, told Arab News that he remarried because there was no way for him to bring his wife from Pakistan.

“I am going to be working in Saudi Arabia for years to come, so I decided to marry a Pakistani girl here. I will take my second wife back to Pakistan when I leave the Kingdom for good.”