Fate of Indians who overstayed in Saudi Arabia unknown

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

Thousands of non-resident Indians are stranded in Saudi Arabia after the amnesty period granted by that country's government ran out. And their relatives in India don't know what has happened to them.

Pilgrims feel the pinch The Saudi government last year introduced stiff measures to stop Umra pilgrims overstaying. Now only those above 40 are allowed to enter the country for Umra. This, the Saudi authorities hope, will reduce the chances of pilgrims staying back for employment. Visa seekers for Umra now have to approach Saudi consulates in Bombay or New Delhi with their passports, ticket birth certificate and $ 500 in traveller's cheque. Travel agents say Umra visas have been scarce since the new rule came into existence.

Deportees said at least 10,000 more people could not take advantage of the Saudi government's amnesty either because their travel documents were not complete or due to a lack of transport facilities. The Saudi stipulation that each deportee should get a no-objection certificate from his original sponsor has put many in trouble, said George Joseph, who returned by a regular flight from Jeddah.

Joseph said some sponsors were demanding hefty sums for issuing no-objection certificates. He said even those who managed to obtain the certificate found it difficult to leave the kingdom as neither the Indian government nor the Saudi authorities had made special transport facilities to deal with the load.

K Muralidharan, president, Kerala Association of Travel Agents, told Rediff On the NeT that it was especially surprising that the Indian government made no special arrangements to bring back those declared illegal migrants. The Indian government had worked to ensure the return of deportees from the United Arab Emirates under a similar general amnesty last year.

Muralidharan said most deportees from Saudi Arabia were poor. Some of them were Umra pilgrims who chose to stay on after their 14-day visa expired to make a fast buck after selling their passports and return tickets.

He said others could not obtain no-objection certificates from their original sponsors as they had deserted their original sponsors and were working illegally for new employers.

Most illegal migrants in Saudi Arabia originate from Asian and African countries and more than half the 40,000 illegal migrants being deported from Saudi Arabia are believed to be from Kerala. According to the travel agents association, 10,000 of them have already returned to their state.

It is not clear what happened to the others.

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