In a recent case, an Indian worker in Bahrain was arrested for damaging vehicles of the construction company that employed him, in protest against 10 months of unpaid wages. The worker’s desperate actions highlight the difficulty migrants face accessing justice in Bahrain and the shortcomings of recent reforms aimed at tackling wage theft.

The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation recently announced new Emiratisation targets that require private sector companies with 20 to 49 employees to hire at least one UAE citizen in 2024 and a second citizen in 2025. 

Bahrain’s Capital Trustees Board recently approved recommendations to develop a unified system for collecting outstanding municipal fees and debts from migrants in Bahrain. Under the new system, migrants with unsettled municipality debts will not be allowed to leave the country or use government services.

According to media reports, Oman has reduced the minimum salary required for family visas OMR150. The ROP has yet to issue an official statement.

A recent Reuters report draws attention to human trafficking for sex work in the UAE, while cases of sex trafficking are also on the rise in Oman.

Another wave of detention and deportation campaigns have taken place across the GCC in recent months, particularly in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Weekly, officials report hundreds of migrant workers detained in searches and raids.

Kuwait has banned the entry of all Filipino nationals, except those with valid residence permits. The ban includes those who possess new work visas. A Philippines official says the move is a retaliatory measure aimed at forcing the sending country’s hand.

Kuwait now requires non-nationals to renew their driving licences annually. Previously, licences were valid for a period of three years.

Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority has recently announced that its Protection and Grievances Centre will now provide administrative support in filing civil lawsuits for migrants registered with the new “Labour Registration Programme”.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development recently announced that it has resumed the official recruitment of domestic workers from Ethiopia after a hiatus of more than three years. 

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) recently added the recruitment of 13 distinct domestic work categories to its Musaned platform, including female driver, private tutor, housekeeper, personal care worker, and house manager. Previously, such workers would have been recruited under the general category of ‘domestic worker.’

Saudi Arabia has introduced a number of initiatives to regulate the cost of recruiting a domestic worker, including nationality-based recruitment caps and a monthly instalment plan for recruiting workers from Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia doubled the renewal fees for “exit and re-entry visas” for residents who are outside the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia remains the only Gulf state that effectively charges migrants fees for exiting and returning to the Kingdom.

Kuwait’s Public Authority of Manpower launched a new electronic service for labour disputes involving domestic workers. The new e-service will allow both domestic workers and employers to submit complaints.