RIYADH: Passport Department spokesman Col. Mohammed Al-Saad said the number of Yemenis who have now corrected their status as of Tuesday stood at 262,000, all of them having acquired visitor cards.

He explained that the card will enable Yemeni nationals to work in accordance with the Ajeer system of the Saudi Ministry of Labor, and will enable them to go to banks and hospitals when necessary.

He called on all Yemeni nationals in the Kingdom to take advantage of the royal decree to correct their status. "The Passport Department has established centers to correct status of Yemenis at each region, and has harnessed all human and financial capabilities in order to receive Yemeni nationals and help them obtain the visitor card", he said.

He added that the Passport Department coordinates with the Yemeni Embassy in Riyadh in this matter, in order to facilitate the procedures and to verify the required documents and uncover any false ones.

These centers work two shifts, one in the morning and one in the evening that continues until two in the morning, to enable all Yemeni nationals to complete their paperwork.

"Once the grace period ends on Ramadan 20, the security campaign will be launched to impose sanctions on the violators of residency and labor laws in coordination with the Ministry of Labor", he said.

Speaking to a local publication, the general supervisor of the correction committees in Riyadh, Safar ben Mansour bin Daleem, said all Yemeni nationals should benefit from this grace period and correct their status.

In Qassim, spokesman for the Passport Department Maj. Hammad Al-Mutairi said the number of Yemenis stepping forward to benefit from the correction campaign is increasing by the day. "The department corrected the status of 2,200 Yemenis in Buraidah, Unaizah and Rass. The Passport Department in Taif is also continuing to receive Yemenis who want to correct their status during Ramadan.