THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Shops and schools are being ‘raided’ in Saudi Arabia in a country-wide crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Expatriate workers have been left ‘hiding in fear’ as the Saudi government targets companies with foreigners, seeking to deport those with invalid working visas.
The crackdown has forced the indefinite closing of more than 250 schools and ‘thousands’ of convenience stores across the country, as these are staffed mostly by immigrants.
More than 8 million people make up Saudi Arabia’s foreign workforce, a quarter of whom are suspected of working under invalid sponsorship, and could be removed in such inspections.
The country has long been dependent on a large foreign workforce, but the Ministry of Labour has been attempting to implement a ‘Saudisation’ program since 2011 to boost employment of locals.
Recent figures suggest that more than 12% of Saudi citizens are without a job, and with an estimated £4.8bn being sent out of Saudi Arabia each year in remittances, the government is now moving to keep as much of this as possible within the confines of the country. » | Matthew Murphy | Saturday, April 06, 2013
