Lankans staying in Saudhi illegally asked to return

Rasika Somarathna

Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera yesterday requested nearly 6,000 Sri Lankans who are staying in Saudi Arabia illegally to take advantage of the grace period offered to them by Saudi government and return to the island or regularise their stay in the country.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry has offered foreigners staying illegally in the country a three-month grace period to regularise their stay.

The ministry said there will be no extension of the grace period and there will be a zero-tolerance policy for those who fail to regularise their status.

Those who fail to oblige to the call are to be prosecuted and may face a two year jail term and a Rs. 3.5 million fine.

According to Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment there are 5,000 to 6,000 Sri Lankans who are unable to return to the country from Saudi Arabia as they cannot obtain exit permits due to various reasons. However, taking advantage of the grace period, already around 400 Lankans have returned home. The Saudi government's grace period is slated to end on July 3. According to SLBFE, the Sri Lankan Embassy in the Kingdom have begun a 24-hours a day service to issue exit permits for Sri Lankans staying without required documents.