Sri Lankans without valid visas amnestied by Saudi Govt.

Sri Lankans without valid visas in Saudi will be able to leave the country without paying additional fees or fines, the Foreign Ministry said.

This was after the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offered the amnesty.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement last night (7) said the Saudi Government has offered that any Sri Lankan migrant worker, with valid or expired visit visas of all kinds, re-entry visa or final exit visa, who could not depart the Kingdom during the visa validity period due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be permitted to leave the Kingdom through the Immigration points of the airports upon their departure without being charged any fees or fines.

The statement said this is a temporary measure taken by the Saudi Government given the circumstances faced by the Sri Lankan migrant workers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This decision of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides significant relief to the Sri Lankan migrant workers who are currently in the process of repatriation”, the statement added.

“This decision also signifies the strong bilateral relations the two countries are currently enjoying and underlines the proactive engagement that the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Riyadh have with the Saudi authorities. The Government of Sri Lanka takes this opportunity to express our appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for extending their assistance in facilitating welfare measures to the Sri Lankan migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic period.”, the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.