Around 200,000 expatriates from nearly 20 different countries are estimated to have lost their residencies in the last one year, as they were unable to renew their residency statuses. Most of these expatriates were stranded outside the country due to restrictions imposed on their entry by the COVID-19 crisis over the past year.
Official statistics show that the majority of those who lost their residency status during the period from 10 March 2020 to 15 March 2021 were Egyptian nationals, followed by members of the Indian and Sri Lankan communities.
Expatriates stranded abroad with valid residency visas must contact their companies or sponsors to have their residency status renewed before its expiry, so that they can enter the country when the authorities open the airport to passengers from all countries.
Expatriates whose residency has expired and have been cancelled will not be able to enter the country, unless their sponsors obtain new entry visas for them from the relevant authorities at the Ministerial Committee for Corona Emergencies.
In the meantime,the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has revealed that 8,000 expatriates have left the country permanently and that the residencies of 17,000 foreigners were canceled within the last three months. Most of the cancelled residencies are that of expatriates stranded outside the country who were not able to renew their residency on its expiry.
PAM also revealed the 199 residents transferred their residencies from the government sector to the private sector in the first three months of this year. The authority also approved 18,858 university degrees of residents with specialization, as per the new automated system, while more than 181,000 work permits were renewed for workers residing in the country during the three-month period. The authority also issued 735 new work permits, in addition to printing 459 work visas.