OFWs again saved by the KSA king.

OFWs again saved by the KSA king.

News item: SIGH OF RELIEF | Saudi king extends deadline for registration of OFWs, other migrant workers http://www.interaksyon.com/article/65408/sigh-of-relief--saudi-king-extends-deadline-for-registration-of-ofws-other-migrant-workers

OFWs once again, are saved by thev sovereign of KSA from the inefficacity of our government agencies. King Abdil asis ordered ther extension of the expiration of time to regularize their status or to return home. The new deadline is set to November 3 of this year. The extension “definitely eases the anxieties of thousands of kababayans and their families.

The king’s order came after the Saudi Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor, and Interior made the recommendation, following a large number of expatriates are seeking to correct their status.

Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce a black market in labor among the estimated nine million foreigners in the country, which the government says makes it harder for Saudi citizens to find jobs and economists say fosters inefficiency.

Unemployment among Saudis is officially estimated at 12 percent, but is seen as being higher among young people, something concerning to the authorities after joblessness contributed to Arab Spring protests in other countries.

Remittances from millions of workers in Saudi Arabia are important to the economies of countries including Yemen, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan.

Huge crowds of foreign workers have queued for long periods in sweltering heat outside government offices and their own consulates in recent weeks, fearing fines and possible deportation if they fail to legalize their status before July 3.

Hopefully, the DFA will take advantage of this lull to hurry up the regularization or repatriation of the thousands of irregular OFWs still in the kingdom.

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