"As many as 1.12 million expats corrected their professions until July 6. We have also issued and renewed more than 1.6 million work permits during the period," Abdullah Abuthnain, Deputy Minister for Inspections and Developing Work Atmosphere, was quoted by the local media as saying.
Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Friday arrived in Jeddah on an official visit during which he will hold talks with Saudi Arabia's leadership on a range of issues, including the controversial 'Nitaqat' law, energy security and counter-terrorism cooperation.
Will hold talks on the controversial 'Nitaqat' law, energy security and counter-terrorism cooperation.
Saudi ruler King Abdullah extended the 'Nitaqat' deadline by four more months and has given undocumented expats time till November 4, 2013, to have their status corrected. The decision is set to provide relief to thousands of migrants based in the Islamic country, including hundreds of people from Kerala.
'The problems faced by migrants remain the same for the last 20, 30 years -- salaries not being paid properly, exploitation by agents, etc. This is the biggest problem and not what the Saudi government implements now,' migration expert Dr Irudaya Rajan tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warier.
The UPA government on Monday said it is constantly monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia following the Kingdom's proposed implementation of the "Nitaqat" (naturalisation) law in its employment sector and help Indian workers there who could be affected by it.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has started preparing the ground to rescue Indians who are expected to be deported from Saudi Arabia as it goes ahead with its new job law, Nitaqat. Sheela Bhatt reports
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has warned its citizens not to overstay their visa in Saudi Arabia and leave the country immidiately once they have obtained Emergency Certificates to avoid penal action over Nitaqat law
Over 18,000 Indians have approached the Indian embassy in Riyadh seeking 'emergency certificate' to leave Saudi Arabia amid concerns about possible job losses due to implementation of a new labour law "Nitaqat" that seeks to reserve 10 per cent jobs for locals.
The government on Saturday said there was no reason for two million plus Indian workforce in Saudi Arabia to be "paranoid" on account of a new labour law, 'Nitaqat' and asserted there was "ongoing" discussion with the Saudi authorities in the matter.
Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued as many as 92,000 emergency exit certificates by end of the first phase of grace period for those affected by labour law 'Nitaqat', Ambassador to the Kingdom Hamid Ali Rao said on Thursday even as India was in discussion with the country to streamline the visa regime to check fraudulent contractors.
"The Embassy urges the Indian expatriate community not to panic based on inaccurate reports published by some sections of the media," an embassy statement said.
"Saudi Arabia continues to be a land of opportunity for Indians. Indians have benefited the most from the amnesty scheme as 1.4 million people got their residency and work status legalised," says Faiz Ahmad Kidwai, Consul-General of India, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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India has asked its nationals living in Saudi Arabia, who have received their Emergency Certificates, to get their final exit visa immediately from the Saudi authorities.
Nearly 65,000 Indians in Saudi Arabia have already collected their travel documents and are legally secure in the oil-rich country ahead of the July 3 deadline to regularise their residency under an amnesty programme.
Despite difficult working conditions, Indians are still seeking jobs in Gulf countries
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