Syrian expats are facing a double problem. While some of them are unable to rectify their status before the July 3 deadline, those who have been successful cannot return home because of the ongoing war.
Of the approximately one million Syrians living and working in the Kingdom, a hundred thousand or 10 percent of them have been blocked by the Syrian Embassy in Saudi Arabia from going on final exit and even renewing their passports to correct their status.
“Ten percent of Syrian expatriates in the Kingdom differing on political views with the Syrian regime cannot renew their passports to correct their status within the grace period. Syrian expatriates have to go to neighboring countries to renew their passports because the Syrian mission in the Kingdom has refused to renew passports of those who are members of the Syrian opposition,” said Mohammed Al-Turkawi, a member of the Syrian opposition in Jeddah.
“Syrian missions in all countries have blacklisted the names of their citizens who are against the Syrian regime. The missions in these countries refuse to deal with them and threaten them with either withdrawal or cancellation of their passports,” Al-Turkawi added.
Most Syrian residents in the Kingdom who are unable to rectify their status and get a final exit home, want to stay temporarily, at least until the war ends in Syria or political solutions to ending the Syrian crisis are found.
Syrian expatriates in the Kingdom mostly work in high profile jobs of administration, medicine and engineering. Despite their status, they fear that spies might infiltrate their meetings and convey distorted information to the authorities. “Many of us cannot speak openly at such meetings for fear of being reported,” an expatriate said.
Many Syrians exchange stories of the atrocities perpetrated by the military forces of the Syrian regime. “I used to attack the regime and agitate people on Twitter. I now avoid going to my country for fear of being arrested the moment I set foot on its soil,” said Waleed Abdullah, a Syrian resident in Jeddah.
100,000 Syrians stuck in Kingdom
