Saudi Arabia extended Amnesty Period for Illegal Foreign Workers

Saudi Arabia on 2 July 2013 extended the amnesty Period by four more months which enables illegal foreign workers to regularise their status or return home without prosecution.

The amnesty or grace period has been extended on the order of King Abdullah till 4 November 2013 which was due to expire on 3 July 2013.

Saudi Arabia had announced an amnesty on 3 April 2013 granting foreign workers a three-month grace period to regularise their residency or leave Saudi Arabia to avoid being jailed, fined or placed on a blacklist. The extension was highly welcomed by the embassies of Asian countries as most of the Country hails from these countries.

The grace granted will be enough for Indians working in Saudi Arabia to regularise their status or leave. It is important here to note that foreign workers must have a Saudi sponsor in order to obtain residency permits and as per the under the new rules workers can be employed only by their own sponsors. These Rules mainly had an impact on low-paid workers, most of whom are from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, but with some from Yemen and Egypt as well.

As per the Saudi Arabian labour ministry more than 1.5 million illegal foreign workers have come forward so far. Of these, some 180000 have left the kingdom in addition to more than 200000 unregistered workers expelled at the start of the year under new regulations to stamp out illegal immigration.

What is Amnesty Period?

It is period of grant extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of persons who are subject to trial but have not yet been convicted.

It usually includes more than grant in as much as it obscures all legal remembrance of the offense. The word Amnesty is more often used to express freedom and the time when prisoners can go free.