“There's a presumption that all overstaying Filipinos, including those who ran away from their employers, are entitled to the amnesty,” Tago told Arab News on Friday, adding that the embassy is still waiting for an answer.

Tago added that based on what he had read from alriyadh.com, which quoted the Saudi Press Agency, the amnesty is an extension of the royal decree issued last year.

He issued the statement after Migrante-Saudi Arabia urged all overstaying Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to take advantage of the amnesty.

“This time, even absconders or those who have run away from their employers and whose work permits have expired, are included,” Mario Ben, chairperson of Migrante-Saudi Arabia said in a statement.

The amnesty does not include people who entered the Kingdom illegally, such as migrants that sneaked into the country from Yemen.

Ben was quoting a news item in Arab News on April 27, stating that the Interior Ministry had announced that the “amnesty includes visa overstayers and people who are currently residing in the Kingdom in violation of the terms of their iqamas (work/residency permits), such as those who have absconded from their legal employment.”

The ministry also said the amnesty was extended because the number of people seeking to take advantage of the reprieve was so great that many were not able to get their exits finalized in time. The floods in January, which temporarily closed some consulates in Jeddah, was another reason for the extension.

The ministry also urged all people seeking to avail themselves of the amnesty to complete procedures as soon as possible through their respective consulates or embassies and through the ministry's Department of Expatriates.