Makkah's labor office registered Saturday the highest percentage of undocumented workers seeking status correction on the eve of the amnesty. The second extension of the grace period expired Sunday at 6 p.m.

Abdullah Al-Elian, general director of the labor office in Makkah, told Arab News that more than 3,000 people arrived to legalize their status on Saturday.

“The correction process will continue until the last minute of the working day,” and violators will be arrested at the end of the amnesty period. He said that labor office branches in Makkah were working at full capacity to complete paperwork. “Our offices are set to begin inspection raids starting Monday,” Elian said. “We have coordinated with the governorate, security patrols and passport department to realize the goals of the inspection campaign.”

“Our offices have extended working hours to six in the evening to receive papers for processing,” said Al-Elian.

Al-Elian expected the number of people approaching the labor office to swell to more than 4,000 by the end of Sunday. He urged violators to take advantage of the final hours of the amnesty, pointing out that Saudi citizens found sheltering or employing illegal would be liable to a prison sentence of two years and fines of up to SR200,000.

The Ministry of Labor has also put to rest rumors about a possible extension of the correction period circulating some media outlets and social networking sites.