The government has made many efforts to get rid of the so-called free visa problem and is putting its plans into action in co-operation with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA).
The legislature and the executive authority are also enacting laws and putting them into practice. However, we notice all such campaigns only have a short-term effect until the issue crops up again and with greater momentum.
Over time, we have become accustomed to the problem and the lack of any sustainable solution is an issue we have to tackle on a war footing.
If we are honest and place the interests of Bahrain before our own, we must ensure the laws to the employment sector are applied strictly.
This is not the only problem Bahrain is facing – economic, social and ethical problems are also there – so it is imperative this rush of so-called free visa workers competing with Bahrainis for jobs should be ended.
According to LMRA statistics, around 200,000 foreigner work permits were issues in 2016, compared with 140,000 in 2015, an increase of 42.8 per cent.
We can see many expatriates begging on the streets of Manama and other areas, and this gives the look of uncivilised and inappropriate behaviour, not to mention the multitude of intolerable problems this brings along with it.
In my view, this is one issue that deserves the attention of officials at every stage and it is essential to prevent this from worsening every day.
I have also noticed of late that large numbers of Asian workers have begun to bring their families although many of them are in low-paying jobs with their salaries clearly not enough to support dependents.
Though there is a law and strict conditions for obtaining a family visa as far as the basic monthly income of an individual is concerned, I see people in such jobs have their families here. How they have managed to do this needs some explaining.
I take the opportunity of using this column to call upon the authorities to pay attention to this problem and deal strictly with those responsible for allowing this to happen as soon as possible in the interest of the future of Bahrain.
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