Saudi Arabia to legalise status of Yemenis living in country without proper authority

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to legalise the residency status of Yemenis living within its borders without proper authority, in response to a request from the Yemen Presidential Council. King Salman ordered the move, which could have significant implications for the estimated 1.9 million Yemenis residing in the kingdom, who account for about 62% of remittances sent home by Yemenis abroad.

The legalisation process will be carried out with several government ministries and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, with the applicable rules to be announced later. Yemenis seeking benefits from the measure must hold a valid Yemeni passport. The decision has been welcomed by Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher, chairman of Yemen’s Shura Council, who described it as a fraternal and humanitarian gesture reflecting Saudi Arabia's commitment to alleviating the hardships faced by the Yemeni people.

This move comes as the kingdom enforces nationwide campaigns targeting residency, labour, and border-security violations.

Brief written by urgent.news from The National UAE's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.