The Saudi government had announced the amnesty plan on February 25, but clarified about the procedure only on Monday. According to the plan, illegal workers must get legalised themselves by joining a legal job or leave the country by June. For a legal job, migrant workers must find a sponsor according to the Kafala system prevalent in the destination. 

 

There is no efficient mechanism to inform housemaids about the amnesty in Saudi Arabia, so sources to disseminate the information must be explored in the country. “Family members or friends can inform them through phone,” said Pandey. According to him, the Nepali embassy has developed an exit permit — travel document — application format for special occasion. 

 

“Illegal migrant workers must apply for it online,” he said, adding that their approved travel document will be handed over to them in their respective cities. The embassy has been developing a network of Non-Resident Nepali Association to support the drive, he added. 

 

Currently, the embassy has such a network in six major cities where there are a substantial number of Nepali migrant workers. However, the network does not cover two-thirds of the country. 

 

About 400,000 Nepalis are working in Saudi Arabia, and 60,000 to 70,000 are in an illegal status. According to UN Women, about 63,000 women migrant workers have been working in Saudi Arabia and most of them are in an illegal status. “More than 90 per cent women in Saudi Arabia are working as housemaids and it is difficult to reach them,” he said. 

 

“If the workers contact us, we will definitely reach out to them,” he assured. Therefore, family and friends should be active in informing them about the amnesty plan, he added. 

 

The Nepali embassy in Saudi Arabia has rescued about 635 housemaids in the last 22 months. Most of them had reached Saudi Arabia via illegal routes in India. The illegal workers have been suffering from exploitation, abuse and even sexual exploitation.