Pakistan Consul General Aftab A. Khokher has thanked Saudi authorities, especially the Passport Department, for putting in their best efforts to regularize the status of overstaying Pakistani expatriates in the Kingdom. He has also expressed gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for repatriating Pakistanis who wish to return home.
He said that the number of people negatively affected by new procedures stipulating an original copy of their iqama was low. He hoped that the Passport Department would review the procedure and consider a print-out from the Passport Department as a valid document.
He said that the figures for regulating legal status had come down according to the latest information reported in newspapers by Saudi authorities.
Around 200,000 Pakistanis have already legalized their status by changing professions, getting new jobs and transferring to new sponsors. Applications for manual passports have also declined.
“We issued tokens to 300 people in the last group of applicants since only 2,500 to 3,000 people are left,” he said.
Thousands of Pakistanis correct status
