Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offers amnesty period to labourers stranded there

Thousands of Indian workers stranded in Saudi Arabia either because of travelling there illegally or staying after their visas expired, will be returning to India under the amnesty scheme being offered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Anil Nautiyal, counsellor (community welfare) at the Indian embassy in Riyadh, said that 20,321 Indian nationals had applied till Monday evening to go back home under the amnesty scheme.

A majority of these blue-collar workers are from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

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An exclusive centre for this scheme has been set up in Riyadh, and the government is asking all Indian nationals staying illegally in Saudi Arabia to leave the country. A similar offer in 2013 had restricted the scheme to those residing in Riyadh and Jeddah, but this time, the scheme covers the whole country.

"The majority of applications we received were from blue collar workers wanting to return to India," Nautiyal told TNN. "The numbers are fewer than during the 2103 amnesty period but many families who overstayed now want to use the scheme to return."

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Indians willing to return are being provided with out passes and exit visas free of charge, but they have to pay the flight cost.

(Image source QZ)