Expat News

Alternative Plan For Delayed Singapore-Mangalore Direct Flight

Despite facing disappointment, NRIs remain resolute, presenting alternative proposals to establish air connectivity between Mangalore and Singapore. This development follows Air India Express' (AIE) decision to postpone its planned direct flight service from Mangalore to Singapore. Expats in Singapore, who were excited about the first air route outside the Gulf countries, have proposed another solution for easier air connectivity between Mangalore and Singapore. According to the alternative plan, the IndiGo flight between Singapore and Bengalore that arrives at Kempegowda International Airport at 7.40am daily, should fly to Mangalore. Although there is a flight from Bengalore to Mangalore at 9am, passengers from Singapore arriving at 7.40am cannot complete procedures in time to board the 9am flight. Extending the Singapore Bengalore flight to Mangalore would benefit travellers. Rajesh H. Acharya, director of HQ Connections, Singapore, and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, said, "We have been fighting for this route since 2017, and the dream was about to be realised. But it has hit a roadblock and has been delayed." AIE stopped Mangalore-Singapore flight bookings from January  4.

Saudi Says 'Honoured To Strengthen Sacred Partnership' with India

Saudi Arabia said it was "honoured to strengthen the sacred partnership' with India following the finalisation of the Haj agreement for this year between the two countries. Both the countries have finalised the agreement, under which 175,025 Muslim pilgrims from India would be going for the holy pilgrimage called Haj this year. The agreement was signed between Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah recently. The bilateral agreement between the two countries for Haj-2025 defines the broad contours of the pilgrimage for Indian devotees as per which a quota of 175,025 has been earmarked for India.

India-GCC Relationship Grows Stronger, Deeper

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said India-GCC relationship is deep with a long history of cooperation in energy and a large  expatriate population. He was delivering a special address at ‘Kochi Dialogue 2025’ with the theme, ‘India’s Look West Policy in Action: People, Prosperity and Progress,’ organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research and the Ministry of External Affairs. In addition, Albudaiwi said there was a need to deepen cooperation in areas, such as technology and innovation, climate change, food security, education, and free trade. He added that the GCC-India relationship was more vital and stronger than ever. The two-day Kochi Dialogue 2025 is a diplomacy conclave, a global channel that explores synergies to address contemporary challenges and bring together policymakers, business leaders, stakeholders, and influencers from India and the GCC region.

Saudi's New Mandatory Pre-verification Of Qualification For Work Visa

In line with its Vision 2030 plan, Saudi Arabia has introduced reforms in its labour sector to increase flexibility for expatriates in obtaining employment contracts and to enforce stricter certification requirements for certain jobs. 

Indian workers seeking to apply for a work visa to Saudi Arabia will now be required to complete a pre-verification of their professional and academic qualifications, starting January 14. Indians are the second-largest expatriate group in Saudi Arabia, with over 2.4 million individuals, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Overall, more than two million Indians are employed across Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.