About 2.5 lakh Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia have so far been legalised as only two days are left before the expiry of the amnesty period declared by
the Saudi government, a top official on Monday said.
Expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment secretary Jafar Ahmed Khan said Bangladesh government has already appealed to the Saudi authorities to extend the amnesty period for four more months.
Talking to New Age in the sidelines of a seminar in the city, he hoped that the Saudi authorities would extend the amnesty period to avail of the opportunity for having more workers in the Kingdom.
About 3 to 4 lakh Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia can be legalized through extending the amnesty period, Jafar Ahmed said.
The EWOE secretary also said a high level Bangladesh team led by expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet Saudi labour minister on July 4.
Bangladeshi workers have been trying to correct their status in Saudi Arabia before the July 3 deadline of the amnesty.
Saudi Arabia has been recruiting workers from Bangladesh since 1976.
So far, a total of 26,24,376 workers have gone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for employment, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training.
Meanwhile, Jeddah-based daily Arab News on Sunday reported that the expatriate workers including Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia appealed to Saudi King Abdullah to extend the amnesty period.
Calls for an extension have also come from a number of foreign governments and business people.
Abdul Khaliq, a taxi driver, said he hoped the King would hear their appeal. Only 10 per cent of workers have completed their paperwork and thousands still have to fix their status, the Jeddah-based newspaper reported.
Rifat-ul-Islam, a Bangladeshi worker, said everyone is hoping for an extension of the amnesty deadline. He believed the king would extend the amnesty period because it would benefit poor workers.
Workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lanka and other countries are trying to correct their status before the July 3 deadline.
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also trying to help the consulates and government departments to finish the process on time.
-With New Age input
