Migrant Rights

The majority of migrant workers in Qatar no longer need permission from their employers to leave Qatar, as per a new law enacted on September 4, 2018.

Law No. 13 of 2018 amends Law No 15 of 2015, the ‘landmark’ reforms once hailed as the end of the Kafala system. Qatar initially announced the abolishment of the exit permit in 2015, but quickly reinstated the requirement. 

The UAE has announced a three-month amnesty starting on August 1st, 2018.

The amnesty will allow migrants who have overstayed their residency to either remain in the country by regularizing their status and paying a fee, or leave the UAE without legal penalties. Migrants who entered the country irregularly will also be allowed to leave without penalty.  

Kuwait and the Philippines have signed a MoU on the employment of domestic workers.  Provisions of the agreement include commitments to 24/7 hotline and creation of a special police unit to respond to complaints, guaranteed access to phones, and a prohibition against confiscation of passports. The Philippines’ ban on workers to Kuwait was lifted shortly after the agreement was signed.

Bahrain’s parliament has voted to extend free healthcare to all domestic workers. The move is part of a rehaul of the national insurance scheme, which is now under consideration by the Shura Council.

The Philippines and Kuwait are set to a sign a labour agreement before Ramadan begins. According to the Philippines Department of Labour and Employment, the agreement is finalised and awaiting signature from President Duerte.

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced a decision last week that allows some workers to work for multiple employers. These part-time contracts are only available to “highly-skilled” workers with a university degree or diploma.

A bill to tax expatriate remittances has been approved by Kuwait’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, and now awaits approval by the Parliament at large. The proposed fees are staggered by salary. A bill to increase residency fees for expatriate workers is also close to being referred to Parliament.

An external monitoring report on Qatar’s World Cup sites has been released, finding ongoing issues with excessive working hours and contact substitution, as well as improvements in workers representation and repayment of recruitment fees.

Oman has announced new restrictions on sending money through exchange houses. Customers must now declare the source of their funding if the amount to be remitted is greater than their salary, or greater than OMR400 (USD 1,040).

The Kuwait government has declared an amnesty for irregular migrants effective Jan 29 to Feb 22.

Update: The amnesty has been extended until April 22. 

A new General Labour Recruitment Bilateral Agreement signed between Uganda and Saudi Arabia allows for Ugandan professionals and manual labourers, such as doctors, engineers, carpenters and welders, to seek employment in the Kingdom.

Ethiopia and the UAE have agreed to expedite a labour exchange agreement, under discussion between the two countries for the last several years.  

Starting in February 2018, expats applying for work and residency visas will need to provide a certificate of good conduct issued by their home country, or their country of residence for the last five years. 

Bahrain has raised the minimum salary required for foreigners to obtain family visas from BHD250 (USD660) to BHD400 (USD1,060). Expats currently sponsoring families under the previous visa rule are excluded from the requirement.

Dubai’s labour court announces this week that it will appoint a panel of judges to review cases involving by domestic workers. According to the National, the panel is set to sit for the first time in November.

Oman has reduced the minimum salary required for expat workers to obtain residence visas for their dependents from OMR600/month (USD 1558.44) to OMR300 (USD779.22)/month.