JEDDAH — Yemenis held at the Al-Shumaisy detention center awaiting deportation can also benefit from a royal order granting residency to illegal immigrants from Yemen, according to the director general of the Department of Passports (Jawazat) in Makkah Province. Maj. Gen. Khalafallah Bin Obaidullah Al-Tuwairgi told Al-Madinah on Wednesday: “The royal directives to correct the residency status of Yemenis covers all Yemeni nationals, even those kept at deportation centers.” Under the royal directives issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, all Yemenis present in the Kingdom before April 9 will be issued with a six-month renewable visit visa that will also enable them to get work in any private establishment. Tuwairgi said detainees wishing to correct their status should bring a Saudi sponsor willing to host them. “Those who wish to travel will not be fingerprinted for the final exit and can go out through the expatriate departments or through a sponsor who will have to process the paperwork for them within 72 hours,” he said. Asked about the visa fees, Tuwairgi said they would not exceed SR200. Makkah Jawazat spokesman Col. Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Hossain said all arrangements have been completed for the correction campaign, which will start on Sunday and continue until July 7. He said the correction process for Yemenis in Jeddah would be carried out at the Jawazat offices in Abruq Al-Raghamah (east Jeddah) during the evening shift only, while in the other regions it would be handled at the Jawazat offices during official working hours. “All the Jawazat offices have been provided with enough manpower to facilitate the correction procedures,” he said. The spokesman asked all illegal Yemenis to avail this opportunity to legalize their stay in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Yemeni Consulate in Jeddah asked all those wishing to benefit from the amnesty to obtain new documents and special letters to present to the Jawazat. It said holders of old passports that have long expired should turn them in to the consulate so they can be issued with temporary passports to present to Saudi officials. It also asked them to bring their IDs, family cards, birth certificates or two compatriot witnesses legally in the country to testify that they are Yemeni nationals. The consulate said after completing the procedures, they will be issued with special letters to present to the Jawazat for status correction. It said nationals should go in person to the Jawazat accompanied by Saudi sponsors who will host them or their legal representatives.
