By MANDEEP SINGH, Posted on » Wednesday, April 01, 2009
EXPATRIATES who have failed to regularise their visas due to a backlog of cases at the Health Ministry will be given one last chance to become legal, officials have declared.
Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ali Radhi said officials had received hundreds of calls from people saying they were given appointments for medical examinations weeks after the expiry of yesterday’s government deadline. Continue reading
By SOMAN BABY
ABOUT 20,000 expatriates whose residence visas have not been renewed must legalise their stay before the end of this month, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) said yesterday.
It urged all business owners and government organisations to verify and complete their expatriate labour records before March 31. Continue reading
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s parliament is set to vote on a bill that lays down tough penalties for employers abusing foreign worker after US criticism and violent protests by Asian labourers, but critics say it will not achieve much.
The move follows protests last year by hundreds of mainly Bangladeshi workers demanding better pay and conditions.
BAHRAIN has become one of the 17 countries where needy Indian workers will benefit from a special fund instituted by the Indian government.
Under the scheme, the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry will allocate Rs1.5 million (about BD12,000) towards the Indian Community Welfare Fund, which will be administered by the embassy.
By BASMA MOHAMMED
EXPATRIATES working at mosques find themselves trapped in Bahrain because no one is paying for their visas, it has emerged.
They tend to stay in the country after their visas are expired because they fear losing their jobs if they return to their countries for new ones to be issued.
By SOMAN BABY
FOREIGN workers must regularly check their legal status on the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) website to ensure they have not been unjustly reported by their employers as runaways, officials said yesterday.
The call came following an increase in the number of expatriate workers registered as runaways at the LMRA by their employers.
FIFTY-NINE labour market violations were reported to the General Prosecution up to September 30.
Of these, five cases have been referred to the courts for legal action, Labour Market Regulatory Authority deputy chief executive for legal enforcement Yunis Al Hermi said yesterday.
Expatriates may report to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority for their CPR procedures. The Sanabis-based LMRA processes such services on working days between 2pm and 8pm.
The initiative has been co-ordinated with the General Informatics Organisation to cut waiting lists for expatriates and their families, LMRA chief executive Ali Ahmed Radhi said yesterday .
COMPULSORY medical insurance for expatriates will make Bahrainis more attractive to employers, a top official declared yesterday.
The current cost of employing Bahrainis is considerably higher than that of employing expatriates, said Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Ali Radhi.
Expat insurance plan hits snag
By SOMAN BABY
PLANS to introduce compulsory medical insurance for expatriates were dealt a body-blow yesterday, with the revelation that legislation to make it possible had fallen between the cracks.