The consuls general of India, Pakistan and the Philippines recently met with Mazin Batterjee, deputy chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and Abdullah Al-Olayyan, the Ministry of Labor’s representative. The parties discussed means of facilitating the processing of documents for expatriate workers seeking to rectify their work status in the Kingdom before the end of the amnesty period.
The consuls said their respective consulates had completed processing the documents of about 70 percent of the applicants.
Batterjee affirmed the need for the relevant parties to speed up their efforts during the remaining 21 days to complete the procedures needed to take advantage of the grace period before the deadline.
The consuls said their respective diplomatic missions have begun erecting camps near the consulate buildings with the assistance of the JCCI’s Social Responsibility Center to provide shelters for the expatriates. A number of volunteers have also been recruited to help expatriates fill out the necessary forms to change their professions and renew their passports.
Baterjee said all government agencies are cooperating to ensure expatriates are able to normalize their work status before the deadline. He also said the JCCI’s Social Responsibility Center had allocated umbrellas to the consulates to protect applicants from the scorching heat.
The JCCI official extended his appreciation to Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal for issuing directives to government agencies to expedite the processing of applications and allow young men to volunteer to help government employees with the procedures.
Asian consuls meet with JCCI officials over expat issue
