RIYADH – Well-trained inspection teams from the Ministry of Labor will swing into action to catch and punish labor and residency (iqama) law violators from Nov. 4 (1 Muharram 1435) onwards, according to a ministry official. Abdullah Abu Thunain, undersecretary for inspections and workplace environment development at the ministry, said teams have been constituted and given full powers to inspect and arrest illegal expatriates during the national campaign, which will begin after the end of the extended amnesty period on Nov. 3. “Each team will have at least two experts. They will be accompanied by security officials. They will raid firms and companies and catch violators red-handed. Officials of the Ministry of Interior have been entrusted with the task of arresting illegals from streets and public places,” Abu Thunain said while addressing a workshop titled “Working plan for inspection raids after the grace period” organized by the ministry here on Monday. Directors of labor offices from across the Kingdom as well as inspectors from the ministry attended the workshop which discussed various aspects of the inspection campaign. Abu Thunain reiterated that there won't be any leniency toward the violators. “The three-month grace period that was later extended for another four months is sufficient for the firms and individuals to rectify the status. The inspections would cover all sectors and business activities and there won't be exemptions for any sectors,” he said, urging the remaining unregulated expatriates and the firms to hurry up to complete the paperwork as there are only two weeks remaining for it after the Eid Al-Adha holidays.
