Manama: Saudi Arabia has deported more than 200,000 foreigners staying illegally in the country in four months, officials have said.
According to figures from the General Directorate for Passports, 201,350 foreigners who were not properly documented were deported in the first four months of the Hijri year, local Arabic daily Al Riyadh reported on Tuesday.
The deportees included people who were smuggled into the country and expatriates who did not regularise their stay or were not allowed to extend their stay, the report said.
A security check to ensure there were no pending cases was performed before the deportees were cleared to leave the country, it added.
Saudi officials this week reported that 106,696 foreigners, mainly Yemenis, were apprehended as they were trying to infiltrate Saudi Arabia in the last four months.
All companies and establishments as well as Saudi citizens and residents should be aware that the law bans hosting, accommodating or employing foreigners who arrive or lived in the country without proper documents, the directorate said.
“All those who become aware of irregular situations should cooperate with the general directorate and report them,” it said.
According to local media, Saudi Arabia is home to around 10 million foreigners, mainly Asians working in the construction and service sectors.
Many of the expatriates have been working in the kingdom for several years, but a drive by the authorities to curb reliance on foreign workers is set to reduce their presence by at least three million.
