As many as 30,000 Nepalis staying illegally in Saudi Arabia have taken “out-pass” from Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh so as to return home.

Some 11,000 Nepalis living in Jeddah, another 2,500 residing in eastern provincial capital Dammam and 16,000 living in Saudi capital Riyadh had applied for the exit pass and have already received it, the Embassy’s Deputy Chief Harish Chandra Ghimire told THT.

Earlier, the Saudi government had given an opportunity to an estimated 3.5 million foreigners living or working in the Gulf state illegally to acquire legal status as per Saudi rules by July 9.

Nepali mission estimates that up to 90,000 Nepali migrant workers could be labelled illegal if they fail to announce their status and initiate due process to get legal status. Thirty thousand people wishing to return home are among the workers staying ‘illegally” in the Gulf region. Changing workplace without informing the employers can make a migrant worker illegal in Saudi Arabia, and this is one reason many Nepalis are labelled illegal. According to the embassy, others have earned illegal status for overstaying or losing their passports.

Up to seven lakh Nepali migrant workers are living in Saudi Arabia — one of the most-preferred destinations for Nepalis to work.

Officials opine that returning Nepali workers might face shortage of air tickets or may have to pay through the nose for the tickets, as thousands are aspiring to return home at the same time. Besides Nepalis, thousands of Indians, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis staying illegally in Saudi Arabia are also planning to return to their home countries, prompting travel agents to hike ticket prices.

Meanwhile, Nepalis living ‘illegally’ have initiated due process to legalise their stay in Saudi Arabia. Earlier, MoFA had dispatched 5,000 passports to Nepalese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to rescue Nepalis staying in the Gulf country with illegal status.

Published on: 8 June 2013 | The Himalayan Times