Read amnesty regulations to avoid cheats, expats told

The Jeddah Labor Office has warned expatriates who want to correct their status to read the new amnesty regulations to avoid being cheated of cash by unscrupulous operators hanging around labor, passport and deportation offices.
Abdul Monem Al-Shihri, director of the Jeddah labor office, told Arab News that the administration has provided consulates with the recent regulations and procedures in seven languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Sinhala and Turkish.
He said that 14 information boards have also been set up in front of the labor office in Jeddah in these languages. “The purpose is to educate workers on what qualifies them to correct their status. The same information is provided on the ministry’s website,” Al-Shihri said.
He said this was to counter any misunderstanding and prevent ‘muakebs’ from exploiting expatriate workers.
“I urge all expatriate residency violators to use the extension of the grace period. Those who can’t correct their status and are going on final exits don’t have to pay the iqama violation fines upon leaving. They can also come back after finding a new sponsor,” he said.
Al-Shihri said that most expatriates come to the labor office seeking sponsorship transfers and to change professions. He said most of the transactions are done electronically through the website. “The office receives on average 4,000 to 5,000 transactions every day. The number has doubled in the last two days,” he said.