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The executive director of Qatar’s Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund (WSIF), Kholoud Saif Abdullah Al Kubaisi, recently stated that “over 130,000 workers have benefitted from the fund since its establishment, including its significant contribution to protecting their rights and ensuring that they receive their financial dues.”

Though Al Kubaisi spoke of the fund’s transparency and its role alongside wider reforms in “reducing labour disputes and complaints,” there are still several issues that remain unaddressed.

Bangladesh is pushing hard to send more migrant workers to Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom prepares for various mega projects, including the FIFA World Cup 2034. Saudi hosts the largest number of overseas Bangladeshis – three million – who constitute the single largest expatriate nationality in the country. Bangladesh continues to accept many of the Kingdom’s conditions without critique, despite the financial burden it places on its citizens. Nevertheless, other labour sending countries are likely to deploy similar strategies to get a share of the opportunities that Saudi is likely to offer over the next decade.

Qatar has launched a three-month amnesty period starting from 9 February 2025, allowing foreign residents with irregular immigration status to exit the country without penalties. It is not clear if residents would be able to regularise their status.  Workers can exit the country through Hamad International Airport, or alternatively, they can visit the Search and Follow-up Department on Salwa Road to complete departure procedures within the specified period.

Kuwait recently issued a decision to revoke Article 1 of the Public Authority for Manpower Decision No. 294 of 2023, which required migrants aged over 60 and without a university degree to pay an additional annual fee of KD 250 (US$810) and obtain private health insurance.

Saudi Arabia has been declared the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, with no other bidders vying for the hosting rights.

Our latest newsletter provides a summary of our recent reporting and offers insights into what this monumental event — and Saudi’s wider hyper-development — might mean for the country’s 11 million migrant workers.

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The UAE’s Federal Authority For Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security announced that it has extended its amnesty for migrants with irregular immigration status until the end of the year.

Oman’s Ministry of Labour has issued a new Ministerial Decision requiring companies with 50 or more workers to set up a formal grievance process to address worker concerns.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development recently announced that starting from 3 October 2024, those wishing to file complaints related to domestic labour disputes must first submit their claims online through the ministry’s website.

The Bahraini government has ordered public hospitals to refer migrant women to private hospitals for childbirth, with few exceptions. The move is part of a broader trend in recent years to exclude migrants from accessing public services.

Bahrain recently introduced a decision allowing employers who hire workers with invalid or expired work permits to pay reduced fines instead of facing criminal charges. Additionally, migrant workers without valid permits can avoid conviction and deportation by paying a fine.

Starting next year, Bahrain will join other Gulf States in extending its summer midday work ban to three months, following a decision by the Bahraini Cabinet. The ban will now run from June 15 to September 15, replacing the previous two-month period.

The UAE government has launched a two-month amnesty starting from 1 September 2024, allowing non-citizens with irregular immigration status to regularise their status without penalties.

Effective September 1, 2024, Oman will temporarily suspend the issuance of work permits for migrant workers in specific professions, primarily in the construction and service sectors, for six months.

The UAE has recently amended its labour dispute procedures, increasing fines for some employment violations and allowing partial payments to avoid legal action. The amendments also transfer jurisdiction for certain violations involving domestic workers.

Oman’s Ministry of Labour recently issued two resolutions enabling employers to pay reduced fines to avoid legal action, and authorising regulators to prohibit employers from issuing or renewing work permits for migrant workers.

Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority recently announced that, in coordination with the Central Bank of Bahrain and private sector banks, every migrant worker arriving in the country through Bahrain International Airport will now receive International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs).