By SOMAN BABY

COMPANIES will be billed soon based on a new list of the number of expatriates they employ, it emerged yesterday. The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) has already sent out letters by post to more than 50,000 companies with the list of their employees.

The list has been prepared according to the data available with the LMRA, said its chief executive Ali Radhi.

“We shall start issuing invoices to companies within 10 days according to this list,” he told the GDN.

“Companies which find any discrepancy should report to the LMRA immediately with the necessary documents to correct them.

“It will take at least two days to cleanse the data, if it is required.”

To avoid this confusion, the LMRA has been making repeated appeals to companies to come forward with the accurate data, including copies of the CPR cards and passport details, of their expat employees for the purpose of data cleansing, said Mr Radhi.

“Despite several requests, only about 30 per cent of the companies have applied for data cleansing, he noted.

“We are now giving them another chance by providing them with the list of their expat employees, as shown on our records ,” said Mr Radhi.

“The LMRA will charge BD10 as a levy for each expat employed.

“The companies will start receiving their first invoices by the end of this month, and thereafter at the beginning of each month.”

Since the LMRA took over the responsibility of issuing work visas for expats in the private sector from the Labour Ministry, things have been going on smooth, said Mr Radhi.

“We started our work on July 1, and hundreds of employers or their agents have since been visiting the LMRA headquarters in Sanabis,” he added.

“As soon as they arrive, the reception desk gives them a handout which outlines the procedure to be followed.

“There are also LMRA staff to guide people to the appropriate counters, whether it is for new visas, renewal of visas , local transfer or cleansing the data.”

There are seven counters for document checking.

“While checking the documents, the employers can view on the screen details like the Bahrainisation percentage required,” said Mr Radhi.

“They will then be directed to a customer service agent. If the application is approved, they can pay the fees at the cash counters.

“We are happy that more than one third of the applications are submitted online. This helps us as well as the employers and also avoids overcrowding at our premises,” he said.