PH Embassy in Riyadh bares guidelines to avail of amnesty for those who overstayed or violated residency rules

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
February 2, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh bared the guidelines on how to avail of the Royal Pardon or Amnesty for those who overstayed their visas or violated residency rules.

This was learned from Mr. Alex Bello, an OFW leader from Tacloban who is now in Dubai.

With reference to those who violated their hajj, umrah and visit visa, their fingerprints shall be taken by the Wafeeden Departments and then they shall be processed accordingly and allowed to leave.

With reference to those who are visitors on family visit visa, they should proceed to the Directorate for Passports [Jawazat], settle fees for extension of the visit visa which has a penalty of SR200 per month. The SR10,000 penalty has been suspended for the six month period of the Royal Pardon.

Their status should be corrected at the computer database of the Directorate for Passports. The visit visa holder is also required to present him or herself to the General Directorate for Passports or Jawazat in the respective regions for biometrics or fingerprinting and finalization of his repatriation.

According to the authorities, all overstaying nationals, including those availing of the Royal Pardon, will be blacklisted from returning to the Kingdom.

Overstaying foreign nationals apprehended after the 23 March 2011 will be required to pay a heavy penalty and may be subject to imprisonment.

In its reply to the query of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not include any mention of those with expired iqamas; those who came to the Kingdom for employment with a sponsor and have stayed beyond the validity of their iqama; or those who absconded from their original employer and seek repatriation.

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said that it is therefore clear that, as mentioned in various news reports, absconding workers or TNTs are not included in the Royal Pardon or “Amnesty”.

Various officials of the Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Riyadh, Al-Khobar and the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah have made representations with the Saudi concerned authorities, particularly the General Directorate for Passports [Jawazat] and the Directorate for Expatriates Depending on a case to case basis, the general procedure and requirements include: the absconding or overstaying worker should contact and proceed to the nearest Philippine Oversees Labor Office and provide the information on the sponsor or employer; the original or copy of the iqama.

POLO officer shall interview the OFW to determine his/her status and shall contact the sponsor to negotiate for the “No Objection certification” by the original sponsor; the Settlement Agreement or mukhalasa between the employee and employer wherein both parties sign that they have no claims.

In the case of the employee, this ensures that he has received all his monetary claims from the employer. In case of the employer, this ensures that he has no monetary claims against the employee, such as debts and other possible claims.

Filipinos who have overstayed their hajj, umrah and visit visas are advised that the procedures for the Royal Pardon or Amnesty for these categories are identical and applicable in all regions and provinces of the Kingdom.

The Embassy reiterates its advice to all Filipinos seeking repatriation, who came to work with a sponsor and have absconded but had not filed a complaint with the Saudi Labor Office or Saudi police for private rights such as unpaid salaries that they should seek the assistance of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in their city of residence, whether POLO Riyadh, POLO Jeddah or POLO Al-Khobar.