Another opportunity to resolve status issue
A day before the previously declared three-month amnesty period expires, the Saudi government has given foreign workers, who have violated residency and labour regulations, another four months to obtain legal status. Earlier, the Saudi government had announced an amnesty for all expatriates till July 3 this year. But the new announcement will allow foreign workers to resolve their status until the end of the Islamic year on November 3.
On Tuesday noon, the office of the Royal King of Saudi Arabia issued a “Royal decree” in this regard.
“The amnesty period during which expatriates can rectify their residential status will be extended to 1 Muharram 1435 H (November 4, 2013),” it stated, as conveyed by the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh.
According to the newspaper, Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, said that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had directed that the grace period for resolving the status of foreign workers be extended until the end of the current Hijri year.
The authorities, however, will start detaining violators from all regions of the kingdom after 1 Muharram, 1435 H, and appropriate legal measures would be taken against them, the statement added.
Md Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Riyadh, told The Independent on Tuesday that they were happy with the current extension of the amnesty period. He, on behalf of the Bangladesh government, expressed gratitude to the Saudi government. “Extension of the general amnesty period will further strengthen bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. The decision will provide illegal Bangladeshi workers with more time to complete the documentation process,” he added.
He said that at least four lakh Bangladeshi expats had received legal documents from May 10 to July 1 this year.
He also said that about 300 officials and employees of the ministries of home affairs, foreign affairs, public administration and cabinet division had been providing new travel documents, such as handwritten passports and travel permits, to Bangladeshi workers from morning to midnight.
He further said that they were getting help from local newspapers. He added that they had deployed volunteers to disseminate information about the amnesty by distributing leaflets.
Islam said Saudi Arabia had stopped “Iquama” and job change options for Bangladeshi workers since 2008. “Foreign minister Dipu Moni’s two visits to Saudi Arabia has eased the problem,” he added.
He told The Independent that the expatriate minister would visit Saudi Arabia on July 6 to hold a meeting with the Saudi labour minister for appointing more Bangladeshi workers.
According to sources, about 15 lakh Bangladeshis are working in Saudi Arabia.
-With The Independent input
