Saudi government extends amnesty program anew

Saudi government extends amnesty program anew Saudi Arabia has extended its amnesty program for undocumented migrants for another 30 days according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The DFA said the second extension was in response to the request of the Philippines and several other countries and is seen to benefit at least 6,000 undocumented Filipinos who were unable to avail of the initial amnesty offer.

In its Bulletin No. 10, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said it has received information from the Saudi Immigration (Jawasat) regarding the details of the provisional extension granted by the Saudi Government of the 2017 Amnesty Programme for illegal expatriates in the Kingdom. According to the Jawasat, the extended Amnesty is only for those qualified under the criteria set by the original Amnesty Programme which began on 29 March 2017, specifically as follows:

1. those with expired umrah, hajj and visit visas

2. pilgrims without hajj permits

3. those who have crossed the border into the kingdom without permits

4. residents with expired residence id card (iqama)

5. workers with work permits but with no iqama

6. workers who have been declared absconding (huroob) by their employers/sponsors Only those expatriates who fall under the abovementioned criteria before the official announcement of the Amnesty on 19 March 2017 will be allowed to avail of the provisional extension of the Amnesty.

Undocumented Filipinos staying in the Kingdom who qualify for the provisional extension as mentioned above should do the following:

1. For those who are holders of valid Passports or Travel Documents, you may proceed directly to the Jawasat processing center in your area. The Jawasat Processing Center in Riyadh is located at 7516 Zaid IbnThabit, Al Malaz, Riyadh. The Center is open from 7:30 am to 2 pm only.

2. For those whose Passports or Travel Documents have expired, proceed to the Philippine Embassy to have your Passports and Travel Documents extended.

3. For those who do not have a valid Passport or Travel Document, proceed to the Philippine Embassy to apply for Travel Document.

4. For those with expired final exit visa issued during the Amnesty, proceed to the Jawasat Processing Center to have your visas renewed. Under the extended Amnesty, expired final exit visas issued by the Jawasat may be extended without penalty.

5. For those with expired Umrah, Hajj and Visit visas, proceed to the Jawasat Office at the airport to be stamped for exit.

You should have a valid ticket for leaving the Kingdom before proceeding to the Jawasat Office at the airport. The provisional extension of the Amnesty will end on 25/1/1439 Hijri, corresponding to 15 October 2017.

The Philippine Embassy encourages all Filipinos illegally staying in the Kingdom and who qualify for the Extended Amnesty as mentioned above to immediately avail of the Amnesty to avoid being arrested, detained and made to pay corresponding penalties by the Saudi Government.

The Saudi government first implemented a 90-day amnesty program in March 2017 that was then extended for another 30 days. A total of 8,467 undocumented Filipinos already availed of the initial offer according to the DFA. /END

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