Asian diplomats heave a sigh of relief; seek clarity on mechanism

The much-awaited concessions announced yesterday for expatriate workers affected by the Nitaqat system has addressed some of the burning issues.
Pakistan Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan described it as good news. “I want to express my thanks to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, for this generous gesture to grant these concessions,” he said.
“We urge our countrymen to make use of this opportunity to cooperate with the Saudi authorities either to rectify their status or to leave the Kingdom within the grace period,” he said.
Anura Muthumala, labor counselor at the Sri Lankan Embassy, said: “This is a good move. It will greatly benefit both the Saudi government and the labor-exporting countries.”
Bangladesh Ambassador Shahidul Islam said: “We wholeheartedly welcome it. It is a great move and we thank the Saudi leadership for granting this relief.”
While requesting Bangladeshi expatriates to utilize this offer to the benefit of the two countries, Islam also requested the Saudi government to lift the ban on the transfer of sponsorship of Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom so that they can rectify their visa status during the grace period.
The concessions have allayed the major concern of expatriate workers that biometric scanning of the departing employee will affect his or her entry into the Kingdom again. Thousands of workers who wish to leave the Kingdom were concerned about fingerprinting procedures. The new measure ensures that biometric scanning will not have any adverse impact on those who are staying illegally in the country but intend to come back on new visas.
It was also announced that Haj or Umrah pilgrims who came prior to July 3, 2008, are now able to work as domestic servants. This is an important decision for several Asians who arrived on Umrah and Haj visas and are working as watchmen or gardeners for Saudi individuals. They can now regularize their job status.
Pakistan Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokhar termed it as a “humanitarian approach toward the issue.” He said that the “Pakistani mission is looking forward to the Saudi mechanism to execute today’s guidelines.”
Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai described the move as a gesture of the Saudi government to all expatriate workers who had violated local rules. He urged the “Indian community members who are affected under the new system to use the grace period and leave the Kingdom or regularize their job status.”
Sibi George, deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, welcomed the guidelines and termed the ruling as one of the best on offer. He said that Indian missions would work according to the guidelines.
Philippine Consul General Uriel Garibay has termed it as fantastic. It will help Filipino nationals who are stranded and desperately seeking to leave the Kingdom. He said that he received some brief information on Friday afternoon regarding the regularization and repatriation that is the “need of the hour” for the Philippine Consulate.
Nepalese Embassy’s Deputy Chief Mission Harish Chandra Ghirmire also welcomed the announcement. He too said that allowing the repatriation of absconding workers was a welcome move for Nepalese workers in the Kingdom.