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Jacintha came in work visa, not visit visa, says Embassy of India in Riyadh

MANGALURU: The Embassy of India, Riyadh, has clarified that Jacintha Mendonsa was recruited by M/s Trio Tracks Consultants, Mumbai and sent to Saudi Arabia on June 10, 2016 to work with a Saudi sponsor. She arrived in Riyadh and was later sent to Taif and thereafter to Yanbu to work with a lady relative of the sponsor.

Answering to a tweet by TOI, the embassy also disclosed the licence number (B-0498/MUM/PER/100+91/2/8571/2009) of the recruiter.

On receipt of her case on ’MADAD’ portal on October 2, 2016, the Embassy and the consulate took up this matter with the local Saudi authorities. The Embassy also contacted with the sponsor and requested her to repatriate Jacintha to India, but she categorically refused and stated that she would send her back only after completion of the two years contract period or on reimbursement of recruitment expenses incurred by her, the Embassy informed TOI.

Jacintha arrived in the Kingdom without following legal procedure of recruitment of housemaids laid down by the Government of India. As required by law, her recruitment documents were not submitted to the Embassy/Consulate before her arrival for checking, verification and approval; nor did the sponsor submit the requisite Bank Guarantee of USD 2,500 to the Embassy, which was applicable at the time of Jacintha’s recruitment.

Jacintha came to Saudi Arabia, as per regulation on an initial 90-day ’Work Visa’ with profession mentioned as ’housemaid’ and not on ’visitor visa’, the Embassy informed. Normally, the 90-day work visa is subsequently extended by the sponsor, as per local law.

In all cases of premature repatriation before the completion of the contract period, as in this particular case, the local sponsor insists for reimbursement of this recruitment expenses incurred on recruitment of an expatriate worker, as per local rules. Under these circumstances such expenses are necessarily borne by the Indian recruiting agent who stamped her visa and sent her without following the legal procedure, as the worker is in no position to pay such amounts.