Where does the money go?

After several years of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) imposing fees on the hiring of foreign workers, many business owners still complain about the added expense. The LMRA currently charges BD200 for a work visa application or renewal and BD90 for a dependents’ visa. In addition to this, companies must pay BD10 a month for every foreign employee. This adds up to around BD440 in fees every two years for each expat worker. Continue reading

Embassy pledge

THE Philippine Embassy is planning to soon launch its second mass repatriation programme. The move is part of its ongoing effort to keep a check on undocumented workers or those without proper paperwork.It is negotiating with all stakeholders, mainly employers and companies, to co-operate regarding the repatriation process, an embassy spokesman told the GDN. Continue reading

Hundreds of illegal expatriates arrested

Inspection raids aimed at reducing the number of expatriates working illegally in Bahrain have netted 1,416 people in the first six months of this year.Nearly 6,000 inspection raids were conducted by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) alone in the first half of 2010 which resulted in 329 employers being sanctioned for hiring expatriates without valid work visas. Continue reading

Bahrain reforms raising cost of foreign labour

by Frederik Richter

on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 
 
Bahrain’s labour market reforms have started to increase the cost of foreign workers to the benefit of locals, a government official said, with the government now working on introducing caps on foreign labour.

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