.jpg?20260326')
Shura Council members are expected to veto a legislation that could prohibit expatriates from turning tourist (visit) visas into work permits.
The government-drafted bill is based on a proposal put forth by five MPs, led by foreign affairs, defence and national security committee chairman Hassan Bukhammas, in January last year.
The legislators called for amendments to the 1965 Foreigners (Migration and Residency) Law, which will be debated and voted on by Shura members during their weekly session on Sunday.
The Cabinet had earlier called for a rethink, telling MPs that new rules issued in February last year were aimed at cracking down on misuse of tourist visas and the proposed bill would be redundant.
Under the rules, which came into effect a year ago, a visit visa can no longer be converted into a work or dependent visa without a sponsor. However, visit visas with a sponsor can be transferred to a work or dependent visa for a revised fee of BD250, instead of the previous BD60, only if it is for the same sponsor.
The move was announced at the time by Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) Under-Secretary Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa following directives by Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, who issued edict 16/2024.
Dr Ali Al Rumaihi
Shura foreign affairs, defence and national security committee, chaired by Dr Ali Al Rumaihi, has recommended that the new legislation be rejected.
Interior Ministry Under-Secretary for Legislative Affairs Rashid Bunajma told the committee that the existing law was sufficient to achieve the intended objectives of the proposed bill.
Mr Bunajma
He said the government has issued several decisions which prohibit granting entry visas to non-Bahrainis intending to work, unless they obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Immigration and Passports Directorate.
Mr Bunajma also explained that the NOC was only issued after securing a work permit or sponsorship by the contracting government entity.
“In all cases, an entry visa for non-Bahrainis for visit purposes cannot be granted if it is established that the individual intends to work,” he said.
“A complete ban on converting visit visas into work visas would negatively impact citizens, particularly in the recruitment of domestic workers.”
Mr Bunajma further noted that the percentage of visit visas converted into work visas had decreased by more than 87 per cent following the minister’s decisions.
Meanwhile, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) chief executive Nibras Talib said the authority ‘continuously co-ordinates with the Interior Ministry for monitoring and enforcement and closely tracks individuals who repeatedly convert visas’.
Dr Al Rumaihi said the proposed amendment contradicted existing legal provisions.
“The legislation contradicts the general rule established in Article (18) of the same law, which states that, ‘foreigners can be granted or have their residence permits renewed only if they can support themselves and their dependents (if any) in Bahrain,” he said.
“The conversion of any type of entry visa into a residence permit for work is allowed, provided the applicant meets the required conditions.
“The authority overseeing residence permits has the discretion to grant, renew or limit the validity of a residence permit based on periodic legal reviews.”
Dr Al Rumaihi said Bahrain’s legislative policy has historically left visa regulations and conversions under the jurisdiction of administrative decisions.
“The goal of preventing the conversion of visit visas into work permits has already been achieved through the recent issuance of Ministerial Decision last year,” he said.
“The current legal framework already relieves Bahraini citizens from bearing the costs of repatriating foreign workers in sectors where Bahrainis are not available, such as domestic work.
“If enacted, the proposed law could negatively impact citizens by forcing them to cover the costs of sending foreign visitors back to their home countries and later bringing them back under work visas.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))