Saudi extends deadline for workers of illegal status to leave

CAIRO – 21 September 2017: Egyptians who are staying illegally in Saudi Arabia have been urged to correct their current status with the authorities, as the kingdom extended the deadline of a “Nation without Violations” campaign for a month starting September 16.

In a Tuesday statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry advised expats in Saudi Arabia to use the campaign, which promises to allow them to leave the country without any penalties. They would also be permitted to legally return to the country for work without being blacklisted.

The campaign kicked off in March with the aim of deporting at least a million foreigners residing illegally in the country. Saudi Arabia launched a similar campaign in 2014, coinciding with the drop in oil prices.

In 2013 alone, Riyadh deported more than 700,000 foreigners for violating work and residence laws, many of whom were Ethiopian and Pakistani. Thousands of Egyptians have also been deported in waves since then.