Manama: Saudi Arabia has deported around 427,000 foreigners over the last six months, figures from the interior ministry indicate.
The statistics also show that 12,635 expatriates are waiting at special centres for their deportation process to be completed in order to leave the kingdom.
“The ministry has stressed that it would have a zero-tolerance policy towards anyone breaking the residency or work rules in the country,” interior ministry officials said, quoted by local daily Al Eqtisadiya on Sunday. “We are serious about making the country free of violators and we will pursue them everywhere to ensure law and order,” the officials said.
Last year, Saudi Arabian authorities gave all foreigners a three-month grace period to regularise their status in the country. The period was extended by four months in July amid warnings that the November 3 date would be final.
In late October, the authorities repeatedly said there would be no extension and warned that those who were staying illegally either because their residence permits or visit visas had expired or because they had been infiltrated across the borders into the vast kingdom would be arrested.
In November, the police launched a series of raids to ensure full compliance with the residence status. Those who were found to break the rules were deported.
The authorities refuted claims their deportation process was taking a long time that added to the woes of those on the waiting list.
Ahmad Al Luuhaidan, the spokesperson for the passports directorate, said that the deportation process normally took one working day.
“The documents to deport anyone who is breaking the working and residence rules can be ready in one day when the official papers are available and there is no legal issue against the expatriate,” he said. “However, we have a problem when there are no formal documents with the expatriate, the deportation process is delayed. We try to coordinate with his or her embassy and in such cases, the speed of the process depends on how quickly the embassy gets the formal documents, especially travel documents for the deportee, ready.”
The spokesperson said that the department did not favour or discriminate against any nationality.
Police raids in some of the neighbourhoods mainly in the capital Riyadh resulted in clashes with expatriates determined not to be deported out of the kingdom. At least three people, including one Saudi national, were killed in the riots.
Saudi Arabia is home to around 9 million foreigners, out of a total population of 27 million, mainly Asians in the construction and service sectors.
