The Authorities have now issued directives that if anyone who is helping infiltrators or illegal expats in Saudi Arabia will be strictly punished.

Fine of SR1 Million & Up to 15 Yrs Jail for helping infiltrators

A Fine of SR Million and Jail term between 5 to 15 Yrs will be levied on people helping infiltrators.

Helping also includes providing transportation to infiltrators within the kingdom or providing them with any help.

Apart from imprisonment a fine will also be levied, the means of transportation used for carrying infiltrators will be confiscated.

The accommodation prepared to shelter the infiltrator will also be confiscated. If the means of transportation or housing are owned by others, then the penalty is a maximum fine of SR1 million.

Anyone who gives transportation to an infiltrator is a man of good faith and the offense was committed out of negligence due to certain circumstances, in such case, the penalty will be a maximum fine of SR500,000; and a decision in this regard can be taken by the competent court after examining the circumstances.

In all the above cases, the penalty shall be published after the issuance of the final verdict in the case in one or more local newspapers or in any other appropriate medium at the expense of the convict, depending on the gravity of the crime and its impact.

The Public Prosecution shall undertake the investigation and prosecution of these crimes before referring them to the criminal court and the penalty shall be executed 15 days after issuance of the final verdict. Anyone who notifies the Ministry of the Interior with information useful for the arrest of infiltrators will be exempted from penalties stipulated in the law.

2055270 expatriates have been arrested due to violating kingdoms residency and Labor regulations.

20% of the Illegal Expatriates which is around 500,000 Expats were detained.

Total Illegal Expatriates: 2 Million

• Violating the system of residency: 1.5 Million
• Violating Labor Laws in Saudi: 0.3 Million
• Breaching Border Security System: 0.2 Million

The campaign officials said 14,829 violators were currently being kept in various deportation centres. They consist of 12,730 men and 2,099 women.

The officials said 295,930 violators were referred to their embassies and consulates to issue them with travel documents while 359,593 were completing their travel formalities.

The violators have been rounded up in a security crackdown launched since November last year, the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry said in a statement. They included 1.25 million migrants for violating residency and work regulations.

Some 211,000 others were arrested for illegally attempting to cross the border into Saudi Arabia. Yemenis account for 52% of those caught while trying to unlawfully infiltrate into the kingdom followed by Ethiopians with 45 per cent, the ministry added in the statement.

Around 346,970 violators have been deported from Saudi Arabia during the cited period, according to the ministry.
Authorities said that 446 Saudis had been arrested over suspected involvement in transporting or sheltering illegals and out of them 419 were released.

There are 12.7 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, according to official figures.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has stepped up swoops on illegal foreign workers after authorities announced several grace periods for them to legalise their status or leave.

Like several Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia is seeking to provide more jobs to Saudis and reduce unemployment rate estimated at 12.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

At least 19 ministries and government departments, including the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the Directorate General of Passports, are taking part in the Nation Without Illegal Expats campaign launched in November 2017.

According to the ministry, 953,951 of the expatriates have violated the system of residency, 222,235 labor laws and 103,733 the border security system.

The ministry said 225,181 were immediately punished, 179,796 referred to their embassies and consulates to obtain travel documents, while 226,545 were asked to complete travel bookings. The authorities deported 330,459 violators to their respective home countries.

The ministry said 11,170 violating expatriates were currently being held in detention centers. They consisted of 9,185 men and 1,985 women.

The ministry said a total of 2,186 people, including 417 Saudi nationals, were arrested for providing accommodation and transport to illegal expatriates.

It said 389 of the Saudi detainees were interrogated, punished and released while 28 were still under investigation.

The ministry said some 19,507 foreigners were caught while trying to sneak into the Kingdom across its southern borders. It said 53 percent of the infiltrators were Yemenis, 44 percent Ethiopians and 3 percent people of various other nationalities.

It said as many as 809 expatriates were apprehended while attempting to sneak illegally out of the Kingdom.

Here is the breakdown of Expatriates who are arrested and their violations

Total of 264,245 Violators

54% of IQAMA violators

33% of Labor Law violators

13% of illegal border crossing immigrants

Most of the illegal expatriates who were arrested were from the below regions:

73% – Yemeni Expatriates
25% – Ethipian Expatriates
2% – Other countires Expatriates

Among these, 56,899 expatriates were deported to countires of origin and 92 Saudi citixens were also involved in coverups and smuggling.

The number of expatriates currently detained stands at 14,699, including 12,782 men and 1,917 women.

Immediate penalties were imposed on 39,422 expatriates while 37,506 violators were referred to their respective diplomatic missions for travel documents and 56,899 were deported.

In the first day of arrests itself they caught around 900+ violators in Riyadh and till date they have arrested around 150,000+ illegal expatriates.

This campaign of arrests were starter in November to track down illegal foreigners and 89000 violators of residence and 45000 for labor violators and 24000 of violation of border security systems, totalling all to 150,000 were arrested.

Violators were of all different countries who violated the residence or work permits and were still working and living in KSA.

Security authorities conducted inspections to apprehend illegal workers to curb crimes such as thefts, sorcery, employing illegal workers, brewing liquor and to prevent them being involved in criminal activities.

This campaigns was lanched in March providing a 6 months time for illegal expatriates who are working and living in Saudi Arabia, as well as border infiltrators.

After the campaign ended, Saudi government started to search of illegal expatriaes and in a ajor crackdown in Riyadh polic arresed around 900+ expats who are living illegally in Saudi Arabia in just 1 Day.

Expats arrested were from different countries and Police report that moot of the crimes in the city are comittedd by these illegal people only.

Similar inspections are being carried out in all parts of the Kingdom in concurrence with the respective governorates of the regions. Expatriates are advised to carry their residency certificates, driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates to cooperate with security officers.

Retail outlets, warehouses and gas stations will also be scrutinized to ensure their products and services are according to the Kingdom’s standards and follow the copyright regulations of the country.

A proposal of the drafted law by Dr. Sadaqa Fadil will be discussed soon to the consultative body. This proposal will include the formation of a comittee under MOIT to further studay the conditions of Illegal Expatriates living in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This comittee will have all the power to grant or reject Expatriates with Residence permit or order authorities to deport them from the kingdom.

But there are few conditions for Illegal Expatriates for this eligibility to be met. Here are those:

• Expatriate Must be a Muslim
• Age must be between 30 Yrs to 50 Yrs
• Good Arabic Writing & Reading Skills
• Should have been in Saudi Arabia for at least 5 years
• Should have a Profession which is required in Saudi Job Market

This Comittee can also take action on illegal expatriates who are working in professions rserved for Saudi Nationals and can deport them.

Dr. Fadil also said “Illegal foreign migrants are likely to commit crimes and engage in various negative practices that would negatively affect the society. They will also create security problems,” he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

Saudi Arabian Government have been conducting Amnesty Program for all the Illegal Expatriates to correct their status in Saudi Arabia, and even extended the Amnesty period for many countries in which almost more than 7,00,000 illegal expatriates left the kingdom without any penalty or Jail. Though there might be many illegal expatriates who are still living in the kingdom.

If this committee establishes and this law gets passed. It will be helpful for all those expatriates who fllfill the above conditions and who are needy.