ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia has extended amnesty period for undocumented migrants by an additional month for the third time, according to a statement by the Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
The extension will be effective as of September 17, according to a letter sent by the Saudi government to Ethiopian Embassy in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia announced in March 2017 a three months amnesty program for undocumented foreign migrants to voluntarily leave the country before the amnesty's expiration in late June.
The amnesty program has been extended twice since then, first in June and then July in order to give more time for the millions of undocumented migrants from all over the world Saudi Arabia believes reside in its territory.
Ethiopia has one of the highest numbers of undocumented migrants in Saudi Arabia, with the government undertaking vigorous campaign to return undocumented Ethiopian migrants back to home.
So far more than 70,000 undocumented Ethiopians living in Saudi Arabia have returned home with another 60,000 undocumented Ethiopians having registered at Ethiopian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia to return.
There are no exact figures on the number of Ethiopians illegally living in Saudi Arabia but some estimates put the number close to 400,000, taking up jobs ranging from maids to construction workers.
With a growing population currently at around 30 million and a squeeze in international oil price, Saudi Arabia is on a drive to indigenize its work force currently dominated by millions of illegal and legal migrants.
