JEDDAH: Employers hiring workers living illegally in Saudi Arabia have been warned they could face prison, fines and a recruitment ban. The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has announced that anyone found to be employing, transporting, or sheltering people in breach of the Kingdom’s residence, labor and border regulations, could be jailed for up to six months and fined a maximum SR100,000 ($27,000). If the violator is an expatriate, they will be deported, and fines will vary accordingly, the directorate said. Individuals entering the Kingdom on a visitor pass have been urged not to stay in the country beyond their visa expiry date. The directorate also called on the owners of establishments not to hire workers breaching Saudi residence, employment and border security rules. Those who do will be fined SR100,000 and banned from hiring expatriates for up to five years. A prison sentence of up to one year will be applied for those in charge of the violation, with the possibility of deportation if the manager is an expatriate. More than 2.54 million violators of residency, work and border security systems have been arrested in a year-long roundup.