201,000 illegal workers deported in past 3 months


  • Ethiopian migrants sleep out in the open near a transit centre where they wait to be repatriated, in the western Yemeni town of Haradh, on the border with Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. (Reuters)

    RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

    Wednesday 22 May 2013
    Last Update 22 May 2013 2:53 am

    The Passport Department has deported 201,000 illegal workers, including Syrians, in the past three months.
    “We won’t force them to travel only to their country,” spokesman Badr Al-Malik, told a local paper.
    “Saudi Arabia will not force violating workers to travel to a certain country,” he said.
    He said that the campaigns conducted against illegal workers seek primarily to impose order in the market. “A worker has a choice to legalize their work status by working for the organization that brought them to the Kingdom or transferring their services to a new employer,” he said. “After the July 3 deadline, workers will be deported with an exit-only visa,” he said.
    He also said that foreign investors and employers would not be exempt if they were found to employ violators. “Both parties will be penalized, with a fine of SR 10,000 for every illegal worker to be paid by the employer, and a potential jail-term of up to two years,” he said.
    The Passport Department put the names of people who will not be allowed to return to Saudi Arabia in a list. “We made sure that their records were free of any security or legal liabilities,” he said.
    　
    　
    　
    http://www.arabnews.com/news/452491