Bangladesh missions in Riyadh and Jeddah have extended consular services to over 100,000 Bangladesh nationals till Thursday evening since the declaration of an amnesty by the Saudi government.The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh and its Consulate General in Jeddah have been working round the clock from a number of stations in Saudi Arabia to extend consular services to Bangladesh nationals who need to have their documents streamlined.
The officials at the missions have on war foot since the general amnesty declared by the government of Saudi Arabia for the foreigners illegally working or residing there.
As declared by the Saudi government, the last date for the amnesty is July 3, and during this period, illegally residing foreigners would be able to leave Saudi Arabia without any fine, said a release issued by the Consular and Welfare Wing of the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
They will be allowed to correct their status by obtaining or renewing passports and thereafter transferring ‘Iqama’ to enable them to stay in the Kingdom for work without facing any penalty, the release said.
To augment the strength of Bangladesh missions in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh government has sent officers and members of the staff to Riyadh and Jeddah who are already working in the missions.
More officers and support staff are on the way to assist Bangladesh missions in Saudi Arabia.
Teachers and students from Bangladesh International Schools, professionals and community leaders have also been co-opted by the two missions to assist them in the whole exercise.
The Saudi government has employed five Bangladeshi qualified guides in five major cities to assist Bangladesh nationals during the general amnesty. (Source: UNB)
