Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has said there will not be a second chance for illegal residents who choose to stay back in the kingdom even after the expiry of the 3-month amnesty period.
Saudi declared a three-month amnesty for illegal residents in the kingdom, starting from March 29 to June 24. Those with expired residency permits or those who have switched jobs illegally can rectify their status or leave the country without paying penalty during this period.
Speaking during a visit to the Passport Centre here that approves the final exit, Director-General of Passports Department Major General Sulaiman Al Yahya said around 7000 illegal residents left the country during the first six days.
The most number of foreigners who exited were Pakistanis, followed by Indians, he said.
Most of the illegal residents were people who overstayed in the country after coming on travel, business and pilgrim visas.
Final exit of people who want to leave the country will not be stalled if there are any technical problems. Though currently there is no provision to allow final exit of people who visit the Passport centre without an appointment, their cases will be considered separately.
The government agencies will start stringent raids across the kingdom once the grace period ends. They will have to pay penalty apart from the fee, he added.
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