PHILIPPINE EMBASSY BULLETIN
ON THE
2017 KSA AMNESTY PROGRAMME:
“A NATION WITHOUT VIOLATORS”
Bulletin No. 009
Photo Caption: Philippine Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim Iric C. Arribas (seated lower corner left at the table) attends the Joint Meeting between Saudi Officials and Diplomats on the status of the 2017 KSA Amnesty Programme.
Today, 16 July 2017, another joint meeting on the implementation of the 2017 KSA Amnesty Programme was held at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Representatives from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi Immigration (Jawasat) Officials met with the the Ambassadors, Heads of Post and Diplomats from the Embassies of countries with a large number of nationals living as expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials said that there will be no extension of final exit visas issued by the Jawasat for Amnesty applicants who willingly and consciously let their visas expire. The Jawasat however, will consider on a case to case basis those whose final exit visas expired due to circumstances beyond their control.
Examples of the latter include failure to leave the country due to medical emergencies, cancelled flights, and/or errors in the individual’s Jawasat records due to technical reasons.
The following are examples of reasons which will NOT be considered as basis for extension of expired final exit visas:
- Waiting for salaries arising from illegal employment;
- Waiting to be hired by an employer;
- Failure to purchase an airline ticket;
- Ignorance of the sixty (60) day validity of the final exit visa.
As consistently announced by the Saudi Government, illegal expatriates who fail to leave after availing of the Amnesty Programme will be subject to arrest, payment of fines/penalties, and deported with a permanent ban on entering the Kingdom. Those who harbor illegal expatriates will likewise be subject to similar treatment by the Saudi Government.
In light of the above, the Philippine Embassy strongly advises all Filipinos who have applied for the Amnesty and have obtained their final exit visas to leave within the sixty (60) day validity of their visas to avoid being sanctioned by the Saudi Government.
The Embassy also reminds all illegally-staying Filipinos in the Kingdom to immediately avail of the Amnesty Programme before the end of the extension period which is on 24 July 2017.- END
