Makkah Increases Penalty for Expatriates Harboring Illegal Residents

June 2007POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 17-07MAKKAH INCREASES PENALTY FOR EXPATRIATES HARBORING ILLEGAL RESIDENTSThe Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia has announced that government authorities in Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had increased the penalty for expatriates who conceal illegal residents to a fine of SR10,000, two-months imprisonment, and deportation. Col. Shuail Ibn Bekhit Al-Matrafi, a Passport Department official of Makkah, said the move is aimed at cracking down expatriates that bring in their relatives and harbor them by extending their visit visas or letting the visas expire, thereby turning the visa holder into an illegal resident of the Kingdom.Col. Al Matrafi added that the new fingerprinting system used by the Passport Department had succeeded in tracking down a large number of illegal residents. He urged expatriates who wanted their relatives to visit Makkah to abide by the new law. DaIAcC