8 September 2020 09:19 am
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided not to charge any fee or fine from Sri Lankan migrant workers who could not depart the Kingdom during the visa validity period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foreign Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said Saudi Arabia had 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 Ministry said this was 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 Saudi Arabia provides significant relief to the Sri Lankan migrant workers who are currently in the process of repatriation.
The 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 Sri Lankan Government 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 Ministry added.