About half a lakh Indian workers in Saudi Arabia are awaiting the Saudi Government’s final exit visas to leave the country for good before the July 3 deadline.
The Indian embassy had issued new passports to these workers who had no valid legal documents to live and work in the kingdom. The Government has given illegal expat workers time until July 3 to correct their residency status. They could also leave the country under the amnesty scheme offered.
Embassy officials told local media that final exit visa should be cleared by the Saudi Home Ministry. Several Indians have already left Saudi Arabia as the grace period for enforcing the ‘Saudisation’ drive ends. Close to 6,000 Indians had transferred their work licences to sponsors other than their current ones. Under the Saudi law, expat workers need to be sponsored by a local employer. The expats cannot work outside the sponsor or change professions.
However, as part of the relaxation of norms so that expats can correct their residency and work status, the Government had allowed them to change sponsors. For this, the sponsor’s permission is not necessary. Indians in Saudi are the one community who have utilised the chance most.
Meanwhile, deportation authorities have asked those expats who have obtained the final exit visas to wait for three weeks before making their departure back home. This was because it would take a minimum of 20 days for the authorities to complete the paper work. Several Indians who had gone to the airport to board flights back to India were turned away as their visa formalities had not been completed.