Just a few days left of legalization campaign targeting labor law violators. The four-month grace period granted by King Abdulla in July ends on 3rd November.
In a report published in Arab News today Deputy Labour Minister Mefreh Al-Haqbani said that the government has no plans to extend the deadline beyond Nov.3.
The Indian government has also given assurance to the Saudi Arabian government that there would not be any illegal Indian worker after the November 3 deadline.
According to Financial Express report, nearly 90,000 Indians have come back from Saudi Arabia in the grace period granted by the Kingdom for undocumented workers under its Nitaqat rules. About 4,66,689 Indian workers have renewed their Iqamas (resident permit) over the last five months of the grace period, 359,997 workers have transferred their sponsorships and 355,035 workers changed their job titles to legalise their status.
Expatriate violators seeking rectification to continue to work in the Kingdom are exempt from penalties and fines for violations that took place after Apr. 6.
Al-Haqbani said violators would face a penalty of SR100,000 and a jail term of two years. He also warned that the new Hijri year will be the “year of inspections.”
In addition, expatriate laborers who have sought final-exit visas during the grace period will also be exempt from paying fees and fines.