Saudi Arabia reduces entry ban to 3 yrs for visa-expired expats
Baira finds that most stranded Bangladeshi workers have already returned to the Middle Eastern country
Riyadh has delivered quite good news to Saudi Arabia expatriates who have not been able to return to the Middle Eastern country and whose exit and reentry visas have already expired.
Three years after the visa has expired, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will allow the expats to enter the country again, said Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) Sunday.
The ban previously was for five years. However, this will not be applicable to those who come back to their previous employer with a new visa, reports Jeddah-based English daily Saudi Gazette referring to the Jawazat.
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Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, immediate-past secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), said the Jawazat announcement is still not clear about if the stranded workers at home due to the pandemic will qualify for reentry.
He, however, claimed most of the Bangladeshi nationals who got stuck owing to the pandemic-led movement restrictions have already returned to their Saudi workplaces.
"There is almost nothing in the announcement for us to be worried about," said the recruiting agency association leader.
Around one lakh Saudi returnees were stranded at home amid the Covid-19 pandemic last year. With air flights with the oil-enriched country suspended, the visas of many Bangladeshi workers expired.
Subsequently, they staged a series of demonstrations in Dhaka, seeking help from the government to extend their visas and secure air tickets for a return to their country of employment.
