By Irfan Mohammed

Saudi Gazette

Jeddah,: Some fraudulent brokers, middlemen in Kingdom confusing and also misguide illegal Ethiopians that they can able to rectify and correct their status by issuing new Iqama during the amnesty period. Also rumors circulating in this regard.

Many illiterate and undocumented expatriates especially women believing such wrong information can derail the process of 3 month grace period that start from Wednesday.

Unlike Asian expatriates, most of the illegal Ethiopians in Kingdom, who largely infiltrated into Kingdom through Southern borders, besides Haj and Umrah not in mood to return home. Many violators were women.

Ethiopian diplomatic missions in Kingdom started to working hard to convince their nationals who staying illegally in the country to respect the law of land and return to home without penalties by availing grace period announced by crown prince Mohammed Bin Naif, as per order of custodian of two holy mosques King Salman, while launching campaign of “Nation without violation”, according to top diplomat of the country.

“We face challenge to convince Ethiopians who residing and working illegally in the Kingdom to return home during the grace period,” said Ethiopian Consul General Wubishet Dimis.

In an interview with Saudi Gazette he said that many of their nationals approaching the consulate for clarifications of exemptions and relaxations, which they are not fully aware.

He underscored the efforts of mission to avail the amnesty, said that Ethiopian consulate encouraging its nationals, who are undocumented, to avail the amnesty and return to the country.

He said that in order to reach out the community, consulate is effectively using social media to disseminate timely information their nationals.

Hailing amnesty, consul general said, it is right time for undocumented Ethiopians to leave the Kingdom as Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia both are in final process of upcoming domestic workers bilateral agreement.

The consul general added that Ethiopians who leave during the amnesty can rightfully come back to Saudi Arabia to work when agreement ink and subsequently opportunities would open soon.

Wubishet said that among the violators large number of Ethiopians, who not in possession of original passport, require travel document “laissez passer” and the same would be issued in a single day in by the consulate after submitting documents that prove that applicant is Ethiopian citizen. He expected that most of applicants would be women.

He stated that consulate is dispatching consular teams to Madinah, Jizan, Najran, Al Baha, Abha and Taif other areas to assist its nationals to avail the amnesty.

“Kingdom need to extend help in repatriation of some of Ethiopians who can’t able to bear the travel cost to make success of campaign,” he told. He said that matter would be put to appropriate authorities.