Saudi embassy defends crackdown on illegal workers

MANILA, Philippines - The Saudi Arabian embassy on Tuesday defended its crackdown on illegal workers in the Kingdom.
At the same time, it assured that undocumented Filipinos who are in the process of correcting their status in the Kingdom should not have anything to worry about.
"The Ministry of Labor in the Kingdom shall consider the status of the workers whose correction documents/ applications are still under process. They shall be given the opportunity to complete the procedures provided that they can submit evidence as proof that they have commenced the procedures," the embassy said on Tuesday.
The Saudi embassy further added that foreign workers, who have not done anything to correct their status during the grade period can still correct their status, but will not be exempt from fees or regulations.
The embassy defended its decision not to extend the grace period which lapsed on November 3, saying this was already extended for 7 months. It noted that the grace period was "quite enough" for violators to correct their residency status.
Saudi authorities on Monday started its crackdown on illegal workers.
"Anyone caught after this grace period and failing to submit any proof that he has started the correction of his status shall be dealt with accordingly under the rule of law such as the imposition of penalties and fines now being undertaken by the Ministry of Interior," the embassy said.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Tuesday said there were believed to be 660,000 Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia although it remained unclear how many were illegals.
He said that about 11,000 Filipinos had come forward to seek consular help in legalizing their status or seeking exit permits since the Saudi government announced the crackdown early this year.
Del Rosario acknowledged that many of the remaining Filipinos in Saudi Arabia could be there illegally and faced detention and arrest if caught. - With Agence France-Presse

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