An estimated 75,000 to 80,000 Pakistanis have regularized their status, including change of professions.
Citing rough estimates from the Ministry of Labor, Syed Hammad Abid, community welfare attache at the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh, said the mission, under the guidance of Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan, was working toward helping Pakistanis in making the best use of the amnesty which is scheduled to end on July 3.
So far, 120 companies in the Green Zone have registered themselves with the embassy and were absorbing Pakistani workers from various fields in their organizations, he said. Each day, representatives from four or five companies are invited to the welfare wing to facilitate spot interviews of interested Pakistani workers who are willing to change their sponsorship.
A comprehensive database of approximately 5,000 Pakistani workers in different professions has been compiled and sent to various companies for recruitment. Guidelines in Urdu and Pashto have been widely circulated for the benefit of community members. Other than normal consular visits to far-flung areas, special teams from the embassy are also being sent over weekends to issue advisory and outpasses to Pakistanis who are unable to come to the embassy.
“I wish and pray that the joint efforts of the embassy and the Pakistani community prove worthwhile in helping our nationals,” said Hammad Abid.
Thousands of Pakistanis correct their status
