Riyadh: As to abide by the “Nitaqat”law The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has urged its citizens not to overstay their visa in Saudi Arabia and leave the country immediately once they have obtained Emergency Certificates to avoid penal action over Nitaqat law.
“Anyone who overstays their visa in Saudi Arabia beyond the grace period which ends on July 3,2013, will face penal action including jail sentence, penalty and deportation with a ban on re-entry,” the Embassy said in a statement.
According to the Embassy, all those who have obtained ECs from the embassy will have their original passports cancelled. They will not be able to travel out of India using their old passports, even if the date of expiry on their passports shows validity.
Also said “Anyone wanting to change their jobs (Tanazul) in Saudi Arabia could obtain new passports after following the necessary procedures.”
The new Saudi labour law, ‘Nitaqat’, and the ongoing drive to identify workers who are overstaying in the Arab Kingdom was one of the main areas of focus during the recent talks held between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Saudi counterpart.
The ‘Nitaqat’ law makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers.
As a result of this law, a number of people who were working without valid work permits and runaways have come under the scanner.
