Legislation

Saudi Arabia doubles exit and return visa fees for migrants

Domestic Workers

Kuwait launches new electronic service for domestic labour disputes

Kuwait

Kuwait imposes fees on medicines for migrants

Legislation

UAE to implement mandatory unemployment insurance scheme in 2023

Bahrain

Bahrain launches new Labour Registration Program to replace Flexi-Permit

Bahrain

Protesting migrant workers in Bahrain’s O&G sector face abuse and threats

Wage Protection System

Bahrain implements the second stage of its Wage Protection System

Trafficking

Bahrain launches two new hotlines to report cases involving sponsors who charge migrant workers for job transfers and issues relating to human trafficking crimes

Covid-19

Bahrain includes irregular migrants in its Covid-19 vaccination drive

Covid-19

Bahrain bans issuing work permits to migrants from red-listed countries

Detention & Deportation

“I am not a business lady”

Domestic Workers

Correct terminology doesn’t erase systemic injustices

Sponsorship

The Flexi Permit Experiment: No Kafala, but poor labour practices persist

Covid-19

Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for workers in certain sectors in Saudi Arabia

Wage Protection System

Bahrain yet again announces the implementation of WPS

Sponsorship

Saudi labour reforms to come into force

Sponsorship

Bahrain includes parents, adult children in dependent visas

Sponsorship

Kuwait issues a new decision to ease job transfer of migrant workers

Letters to MR

Security Solutions, Amwaj, Bahrain

Domestic Workers

“Stricter actions against absconding domestic workers”: Proposal in Bahrain’s parliament steeped in falsehoods

Domestic Workers

Cases on the rise, Ramadan round the corner: Domestic Workers’ plight of urgent concern

Letters to MR

Fundament SPC, Bahrain

Sponsorship

Kuwait extends grace period for irregular migrants

Sponsorship

Oman raises work-permit fees for migrants and bans them from several occupations in the private sector

Domestic Workers

Kuwait to resume recruitment of domestic workers on 17 January

Sponsorship

Bahrain’s parliament passes a bill to restrict labour mobility for migrants

Oman

Oman extends grace period for migrants to leave or regularize their status

Working conditions

Labour Inspections in Bahrain: Inadequate and Inefficient

Domestic Workers

Saudi launches electronic complaint service on Musaned

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia to Saudize 30% of accounting jobs

Kuwait

Kuwait to grant only one-year residency for migrants

Kuwait

Kuwait gives 1 month period to amend the status of irregular migrants

Oman

Oman announces regularisation period for expat workers

UAE

UAE extends grace period for irregular migrants until end of the year

Kuwait

Kuwait gives irregular residents until the end of November to amend their status

Oman

Oman waives work permit fines for expats leaving permanently

Bahrain

Bahrain’s unemployment benefits for migrants sparks backlash, backpedalling from Ministry

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announces labour reforms for private-sector workers

Wage Protection System

Saudi Arabia to begin the final phase of the Wage Protection System

Bahrain

Bahrain to provide administrative assistance to expats filing labour lawsuits online

Covid-19

Bahrain renews free extension of visit visas until 21 January 2021

Oman

Oman announces series of decisions regarding expat workers

Domestic Workers

UAE and Saudi Arabia resume issuing work permits for domestic workers

Bahrain

Migrants in Bahrain face an eviction crisis amid Covid-19 pandemic

Domestic Workers

Bahrain to resume recruitment of domestic workers on Monday

Saudi Arabia appoints labor attaché to the Philippines

Kuwait

Kuwait renews free extension of migrant visas

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia expands its nationalisation plan

Health and Safety

Born into uncertainty: Pandemic aggravates the woes of migrant mothers and their newborns

Kuwait

Kuwait to stop issuing work permits for expats aged over 60 without a degree

Kuwait

Kuwait bans transferring children’s residency permits to their migrant mothers

Bahrain

Bahrain to resume issuing work permits for workers who are abroad

Wage Protection System

Saudi Arabia resumes WPS and begins its 16th phase

Bahrain

Bahrain’s Amnesty: In name and little else

Oman steps up nationalisation scheme in its private sector

Oman

Oman fines businesses that violate Covid-19 precautions

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia renews free extension of migrant visas

Kuwait

Kuwait’s Parliamentary Legislative committee approves quota bill for migrant workers

Kuwait

Kuwait drops all “absconding” cases reported during Covid-19 crisis

Domestic Workers

UAE’s compulsory mental health checks for domestic workers is an exercise in victim-blaming

Bahrain

“We Are All Going To Die Here”

Trafficking

Bahrain must not retain its Tier-1 status in TIP report

GCC

Qatar to cut wages of foreigners; Kuwait to freeze recruitment of non-nationals in the oil sector

Business & Human Rights

“Prestigious” construction company in Bahrain leaves workers in despair

Oman eases restrictions on sponsorship transfer

Covid-19

Qatar approves draft law amending some provisions of the Labour Law

Covid-19

Gulf countries ease restrictions despite high COVID-19 cases

UAE announces a full waiver on all visa fines for 3 months

Wage Protection System

Saudi Arabia begins the 15th phase of WPS

Saudi Arabia allows businesses to reduce workers wages without consent

Majority of Bahraini MPs vote for the deportation of irregular migrants

Food woes for quarantined migrants in Bahrain

COVID-19 cases rising among migrants in Bahrain

Covid-19

The COVID-19 crisis is fueling more racist discourse towards migrant workers in the Gulf

Bahrain announces amnesty for irregular migrants and cuts in Flexi-Permit fees

Bahrain

G.P Zachariades workers still unpaid and stranded in dire conditions in Bahrain

The Philippines lifts deployment ban on domestic workers to Kuwait

Bahrain

A closer look at the Flexi-Permit two years on

Kuwait bans issuing driving licences to expatriate students and nurses

Bahrain

Bahrain’s Shura Council votes against a draft law that guarantees employers to pay workers on time

Bahrain

Bahrain to launch new services to help migrant workers in distress

UAE households must now earn AED25,000 to sponsor domestic workers

Private

The Philippines implements partial ban on deployment of domestic workers to Kuwait

Trafficking

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia react to BBC’s investigation of online ‘maid trade’

Kuwait bans domestic workers from 25 countries

Oman renews its temporary ban of recruitment of migrant workers in private construction and cleaning sectors

UAE to allow domestic workers over 60 to renew their contracts

Bahrain halves the amount needed for ‘expat’ investors to self-sponsor

Bahrain

Bahrain: Bill to restrict sponsorship transfer based on faulty information

Health and Safety

Summer outdoor work bans end across the GCC, but heat stress continues

Legislation

Saudi Arabia introduces new amendments to Labour Law regulations

Kuwait

Kuwait raises the minimum salary required for migrants to sponsor their families

Kuwait to open shelter for male migrants soon

Bahrain yet again postpones the implementation of Wage-Protection System

Oman bans recruitment of migrant workers in certain private construction and cleaning sectors

Bahrain now requires migrant workers reported as “runaways” to pay for their own repatriation costs.