Since the declaration of the amnesty, Bangladesh missions in Riyadh and Jeddah have so far extended consular services to over one lakh Bangladesh nationals. Following general amnesty declared by the government of Saudi Arabia for illegally working or residing, Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh and Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah have been working round the clock, including weekends, from a number of stations in Saudi Arabia, in order to extend consular services to Bangladesh nationals who need to have their documents streamlined, said a Foreign Ministry press release on Thursday.
As declared by the Saudi government, the last date for the amnesty is July 03, 2013. During this period, illegally residing foreigners would be able to leave Saudi Arabia without any fine. They will be allowed to correct their status by obtaining or renewing passports and thereafter transferring “Iqama” to enable them to stay in the Kingdom for work without facing any penalty.
In order to augment the strength of Bangladesh Missions in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh government has sent officers and members of the staff to Riyadh and Jeddah who are already working in the Missions. More officers and support staff are on the way to assist Bangladesh missions in Saudi Arabia. Teachers and students from Bangladesh International Schools, professionals and community leaders have also been co-opted by the two missions to assist in the whole exercise. The Saudi government has employed five Bangladeshi qualified guides in five major cities to assist Bangladesh nationals during the period of the general amnesty.
-With The Independent input
