The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched 5,000 units of passports and travel documents to its embassy in Saudi Arabia, aiming to rescue several Nepalis who are languishing in the Gulf country with illegal status.

The Embassy of Nepal in Saudi Arabia has estimated that as many as 90,000 Nepali migrant workers could be labelled illegal if they fail to announce their status and initiate due process to get legal status. Around 700,000 Nepali migrant workers are living in Saudi Arabia — one of the most-preferred destinations for Nepalis to work.

“We have received 5,000 copies of ordinary passports from MoFA,” said Harish Chandra Ghimire, Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy in Riyadh. “We will issue the documents to those who want to earn the legal status and continue working here in Saudi Arabia,” Ghimire said. Those who want to return home will be issued one-way travel document to ensure their safe flight from Saudi Arabia to Nepal. Earlier, the Saudi government had given an opportunity to an estimated 350 million foreigners living or working in the Gulf state illegally to acquire legal status as per Saudi rules by July 3. Changing workplace without informing the employers also 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 the passports.

The embassy said as many as 18,000 Nepalis have declared their illegal status and more than half of them want to return home.

Published on: 4 June 2013 | The Himalayan Times