CAIRO: A total of 32 Egyptians arrived in Cairo Airport Tuesday after being deported by the Saudi authorities for having sought employment while their residency had expired, as well as after having disputes with their sponsors, Youm7 reported.
The deportees flew from Jeddah, a few weeks after the Saudi authorities arrested them for difference reasons. After investigations at the airport, the Egyptian police discovered that two of the citizens are at-large convicts.
According to a report issued by the Saudi Labor Department in 2014, the number of Egyptians working in the Kingdom was estimated at 968,000 at the end of 2013, representing about 40 percent of the total Arab expatriate workforce in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi sponsorship system gives employers (either individuals or companies) control of workers’ residency permits, as they cannot change jobs or leave the country without written permits from the sponsors.
In 2013, Saudi Authorities have deported about 200,000 foreign workers in four months due to illegal residency.