JEDDAH – As the amnesty deadline nears for expat workers to correct their status and work here or go home without any fines or penalty the crowd at deportation centers and foreign missions is getting restless and panicky. But there are many in these crowds who are trying to benefit from this rush and slip out of the Kingdom with forged papers. The Makkah Passports Department has discovered many such cases. In recent weeks, more than 170 such cases were discovered, of which 17 involved women of African nationalities. They used forged papers, changed photos on ID cards, and provided false information to deceive passport employees in the midst of the melee at passport offices. Many such women bring males with them with forged certificates to prove that they are married and have legal mehrams (guardians). However, alert officials identify such cases, and refer them to relevant authorities for action. The Director of Makkah Passports Department Brig. Hussain Al-Harthi said that such cases occur frequently, and the passports employees are on alert to deal with them. The grace period does not cover those expats who entered the Kingdom illegally or have criminal cases pending against them. There are many expats who entered the Kingdom on Umrah and Haj visas and overstayed their visas to look for work. The amnesty covers those who came to perform Haj or Umrah before July 3, 2008 and overstayed their visas. But there are those expats, specially Africans, who have no ID proofs. Makkah Passports Department is racing against time to complete thousands of transactions daily before the end of the amnesty period. The department's officers are working day and night to serve the public. Despite the efforts being exerted to complete the transactions daily, the number of people visiting the department are more than what they can deal with. There are daily complaints by the public due to the crowding. Okaz/Saudi Gazette reporter toured the Jawazat building on Sunday and found the two halls jam-packed, especially the hall marked for those from companies. The number of windows serving the public were half the total number of counters.
