By SOMAN BABy

ALL expatriates, who have not yet registered at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), should not panic over rumours that they would be jailed or deported.

There is no need to rush or panic and everyone will be given enough time to register, said LMRA e-services and public relations manager Waheed Al Balushi.

Some people are spreading rumours that those failing to register would be jailed or deported, he said.

“I request people not to listen to such rumours. We are here to serve them,” said Mr Al Balushi.

He was speaking after thousands of expatriates who turned up at The Indian Club on Saturday to register ended up causing chaos and wrecking property.

The LMRA enrolment centre at Sanabis Club had been closed and shifted to The Indian Club in Gudaibiya for convenience.

More than 3,000 people reached the club, but began to turn aggressive once their patience wore thin from waiting so long.

Though the centre at The Indian Club was closed within a day, the LMRA is now making arrangements at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) to accommodate all.

Enrolment at BIEC will start on June 4 and it will remain open for at least three weeks, Mr Al Balushi told the GDN.

“There will be more than 30 counters, including separate ones for families and for giving appointment to companies which want to send their workers in groups,” he revealed.

“The counters will remain open from 8am until late night. If required, the enrolment dates will be extended.”

Mr Al Balushi said currently there are three centres – Sitra, Hidd and Saar – where expatriates are enrolled.

“Though we earlier decided to close them, they will now be closed only on Thursday,” he added.

Mr Al Balushi said there was no need for domestic workers, including maids and house drivers and gardeners, to register now.

“They will be registered by the end of the year, as we are going to offer services to such people from early next year,” he added.

“People who do not enrol with us will not be considered illegal, if their work permits and residence permits are valid. We want all expats to register so that we can provide better service to them.”

According to LMRA records, there are 485,560 expatriates who should be registered.

“We are happy that 249,482 people have enrolled until yesterday,” said Mr Al Balushi.

“We want only the expatriate employee and his wife to register now, and they can just fill in a relationship form to show the details of their children.”

Even if all employees of a company are enrolled, it is absolutely essential for companies to register separately, presenting the accurate data of all their employees,” said Mr Al Balushi.

“We can then cross check with the enrolment data, and start billing the companies from July 1,” he added.

“We want companies to speed up the process of cleansing their data with us.”

“We request all expats to visit our website www.lmra.bh and ensure their legal status after feeding their CPR numbers.

“If they have any doubt about their status they should clarify with their employers and rectify it.”

People who still find any problem, may write to lmra@lmra.gov.bh or contact the call centre on 17506055.