Over 130,000 Undocumented Ethiopians Living in Saudi Arabia Received Exit VisasJuly 20, 2017 - Over 130,000 undocumented Ethiopians have received exit visa from Saudi Arabia up to Tuesday, July 18, 2017, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed. So far 60,000 Ethiopians have already returned to their country in the aforementioned period. The State Minister, who is also the Chairperson of the National Task Force for Saudi Returnees, indicated that Saudi Arabian Airlines joined effort with the Ethiopian flag carrier in the repatriation process. Dr. Aklilu called on the remaining undocumented citizens to leave the country during the extended grace period that enables them to be exempted from fines and consequences associated with the deportee fingerprint system that bars their opportunity to return to Saudi Arabia legally. It was recalled in response to Prime Minister Hailemariam request, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued additional 30-days of grace period effective Sunday June 25, 2017.

Source: Ethiopian News July 20, 2017 14:03 UTC