JEDDAH — The ministries of interior and labor have asked all expatiates who need to correct their work and residence status to ensure they do so before a grace period that was ordered and then extended by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ends in less than two weeks. The passport offices (Jawazat) again started receiving applications from expatriates wishing to correct their status on Monday after the end of the Eid holidays. The two ministries said stern punishments would be applied to those who were not able to rectify their situations before the end of the grace period. They warned that there would not be any leniency and said penalties would double in case the violations were repeated. A large crowd of citizens and expatriates who since early Monday morning had assembled at the passport department in Abruq Al-Riqama, east Jeddah, described the congestion at the office as chaotic and said more organization was needed if people were to be served quickly. Some customers said the brokers would come to the office early morning, obtain queuing tickets and sell them for high prices to customers who come late, according to Arabic language daily Al-Madinah. “The price of a ticket may cost SR500 to SR1,000 depending on how long the holder has to wait to be served by an passport official,” one expatriate said. The citizens and foreigners formed long queues by the gates of the Jawazat. Some of them were there to transfer their iqamas or change their job title. Saudis were also queuing to sponsor foreigners or cancel the huroob (runaway) status against them. There were also those who had been overstaying for long periods in the Kingdom after performing Haj or Umrah.
