Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — When an expatriate husband or father gets entangled in legal problems with his employer, it directly impacts the life of dependent family members. The women and children pay a heavy price by becoming illegal residents in the country for no fault of theirs. In one such interesting case, a Keralite couple who lived in Riyadh for two decades and had three children born and brought up here all without any legal documents are finally returning home thanks to the general amnesty announced by the Saudi government as part of the campaign for "A Nation Without Illegal Expats". Abdul Sattar, an AC technician, had a wonderful life in the Kingdom after bringing his wife Dilshad here about 19 years ago on family visa. The couple were blessed with a daughter, Asma Sultana, who is now 18. The girl's struggle to prove her existence is as old as her age. Dlishad had developed labor pains suddenly and delivered her baby at home without any medical intervention. The mother and baby were immediately taken to a local hospital, but the hospital refused to issue a birth notification for a child delivered at home. This gave rise to a series of hurdles and legal complications for the couple. Abdul Sattar tried in vain to register his first child's birth at the Civil Affairs office in the Ministry of Interior as well as with the Indian Embassy. Adding to his woes, he later had dispute with his employer who reported him an absconder and refused to renew his residency papers. The litigation continued for nearly a decade. Abdul Sattar became an illegal resident and so were his wife and daughter by default. In the meantime, the couple were blessed with two other children — Ajmal Sufi and Rahna Sultana. Both were born to parents who were illegal residents and so they too became "illegal". However, Ajmal and Rahna were born in a hospital and had birth notifications issued for them. Later, Abdul Sattar managed to resolve his legal dispute with his sponsor and got his resident permit renewed. But he was unable to obtain birth certificates for his children. Time moved fast and the children became mature. Asma has become an adult at 18, Ajmal 17 and Rahna 16. They longed to return to their native land, which they have not seen since birth. The family was also facing problems with the children's education, so they decided to avail of the amnesty and leave the Kingdom. However, it was not easy for them. None of the children had a birth certificate issued by the Saudi authorities or the Indian Embassy. Asma's case was particularly complicated since she was born at home and had no birth notification issued. Due to her age and the long gap, her birth details could not be entered into either the Saudi or Indian system. Ajmal and Rahna were able to register their birth and obtain travel documents. They were granted exit visas with the support of the Indian Embassy, said Shihab Kottukad, a social worker who had been pursuing the case. He said both children recently returned to their native Kerala. After consultations with New Delhi, the Indian Embassy issued a travel document to Asma, yet the core issue of her Indian citizenship remains unresolved for the time being. Asma is expected to obtain exit papers and travel home soon, ending several years of struggle and silent suffering.
