LMRA officials say, they have a big workload and that’s the reason for delays and confusion.

Why don’t they employ more Bahrainis then?

Ask anyone who has been to the LMRA, how much time consuming the visit is.

Why don’t they create employment for Bahrainis instead of enforcing Bahrainisation on other private companies?

If any private company needs additional visas they need to employ Bahrainis. What if the Bahraini for the job is not found?

Will LMRA provide you with one?

You ask LMRA officials a question and they immediately give you a slip giving the web address for e-tickets.

“Is there anybody I can talk to right now as I have already spent my entire day waiting here?” you ask.

“No.. You go to site and open ticket.”

You open a ticket and receive a reply after a couple of days, you give a reply back and then there is no reply from LMRA.

You contact the call centre regarding this, they don’t know.

The reply you get, “different department”, “I don’t know”, “wait some more time” or “nothing I can do.”

I remember letters published in the GDN 10 years ago had prompt replies and detailed satisfying explanations.

But now, it’s either, no comments or please contact customer service.

I hope LMRA will clarify this one for the benefit of the public.

When LMRA first arrived, they gave the impression that additional visas will be given without the need for Bahrainisation as long as the company deserved it.

And now, they say they will “gradually” stop Bahrainisation.

I do not think it is Islamic to force hire anyone for a job.

Nobody will not want to hire a Bahraini as long as they are as competitive as the expats.

Give the employer a Bahraini who will work the same as an expat and they will definitely take the Bahraini.

A

* An LMRA spokesman said: “The reader is not being specific here.

“We need specific details in order to help him – such as the application number or the e-support Ticket number.

“At e-support we deal with all sorts of issues and we are encouraging all employers to use it if they have any issues with the data that we hold about their employees or with a specific application.

“Of course we expect some resistance from some users as it is always the case with innovation; nevertheless, our e-support service has proved very useful and easy to use by all our customers.

“Every single submitted support ticket gets a reply within 24 to 48 hours max – (As the reader has rightfully cited).

“We needed a 24/7 solution that is accessible, robust and easy to use, hence we have created e-support.

“So instead of having to wait and waste time in queues etc… customers can use e-support from any device connected to the Internet.

“The issues we receive at e-support range from simple application inquiries to more complex cases that involve lengthy checks and data updates across many government entities which will surely take longer to resolve.”