Saudi- Over 100,000 Egyptians legalize status

(MENAFN- Arab News) An official at the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh said that most Egyptian workers in the Kingdom have legalized their status although there are no official statistics from the Passport Department or the Ministry of Labor on the ratio of Egyptians who have transferred sponsorships versus those who have been repatriated. Adel Fadel, a labor consultant at the Egyptian Embassy, said, "We expect that there are between 100,000 and 110,000 Egyptian nationals who have legalized their status according to information made available by the Saudi government." "Only a handful of Egyptian residents now visit the Labor Office because most Egyptians began their paperwork in the early days of the grace period. Most succeeded in rectifying their residency status, but some preferred to go back to Egypt, either through the Labor Office or directly through sponsors and the Passport Department," he said. He said he would obtain accurate figures from the Saudi government and said that citizens of his country have so far not faced problems related to legalization or repatriation procedures. The Labor Office helps Egyptians rectify paperwork issues and mediates with Saudi authorities on their behalf, he said, adding that the Egyptian community was one of the smaller expatriate communities in the Kingdom.