Many expats who are in violation of residency and work regulations in the Kingdom have been unable to correct their legal status before the deadline of the corrective campaign.

Despite their regret for having to leave the country, they expressed their respect for the legal procedures in the Kingdom. Those unable to correct their status will be returning to their home countries.

Amin Ghalib Saif, a Yemeni, explained that he tried hard to correct his residency status before the deadline but was unable to put his papers in order. He said he respected the residency and work regulations of the Kingdom and was willing to comply.

Likewise, Abdul Qader Mohammed, an Ethiopian national, welcomed the decision of applying sanctions on violators after the end of the correction period. He also stressed his commitment to such decisions, noting that he came to the Kingdom some 20 years ago through one of the Haj and Umrah companies and decided to stay and work with a Saudi. He eventually walked out of his job after coordinating with another Ethiopian to house him.

Hussein Ali and Abdul Qader Mohammed, both Yemenis, said they came to the Kingdom with another group of violators by crossing the border 10 years ago. “We worked with citizens and were treated well at the beginning, but eventually, everything changed and salaries were not paid on time. This forced us to start working irregularly,” Ali said.

They both expressed their respect to all rules and regulations and said they planned to travel back to their home country in the coming weeks. The Yemenis failed to correct their status during the allotted time period.

Egyptian Khalid Al-Bakhiti decided to leave his country and come to Makkah to earn a living. Like many others, his family was suffering financial difficulties in his home country. Al-Bakhiti came to the Kingdom to perform Umrah more than 15 years ago. Al-Bakhiti considered the decision to correct residency and work status of violators as a good step in the interest of the country.