Bahrain has announced a plan under which expatriates with a court-ordered travel ban will be allowed to obtain a work permit and subsequently legalize their presence in the country.
The agreement pertains to those who are under a court-ordered travel ban due to financial debt or civil claims and are barred from leaving the country until these debts are settled, said the Labor Market Regulatory Authority, which announced an agreement in this regard with the ministry of justice, TradeArabia reported.
LMRA chief executive Usamah Al Absi, who also chairs the National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Persons, said that the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs, and Endowment Shaikh Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa, has given a large number of expatriates the opportunity to rectify their legal position, earn a living, and pay their debts in a manner corresponding with the laws of Bahrain, and at the same time protect them from being exploited, said a Bahrain news Agency report.
Al Absi further explained: “There will be no additional requirements or paperwork by the LMRA for applications relating to such cases; it will be received and handled like any other application, and they can apply for either renewal of their work permits, or a new work permit with a new employer under the mobility procedure”.
He added: “While the agreement with the Ministry of Justice, Islamic affairs and Endowment is valid indefinitely, it comes while there are still seven weeks remaining in the amnesty period, thus providing a great opportunity for this group of people to sort out their legal situation without further penalties or fees, and we ask them to avail of the time remaining.”
The amnesty period which started on July 1 and ends on December 31 has so far attracted over 25,000 illegal workers to either find new legal employment, or leave the country with the possibility of returning in the future under new legal employment.
