Around 1.41 lakh Indians left Saudi Arabia with emergency certificates as well as regular passport during and after the seven-month grace period following the enforcement of Nitaqat law, government said today.
"The number of Indians who left on final exit with EC as well as with regular passport during and after the seven month grace period announced by Saudi authorities is 1,41,301 (as on November 27, 2013)," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told the Rajya Sabha.
Ravi said that the grace period was between April 6, 2013 and November 3, 2013.
He added that all these Indian nationals could return home without facing any penal action and with no ban on their return.
He said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh received a total of 68175 EC applications, of which 42729 were distributed. The Consulate General of India in Jeddah received 26600 EC applications and 23486 of them were distributed.
