A NEW initiative to stamp out Bahrain’s illegal labour market could bank the government more than BD50 million during the first two years.
Two-year permits allowing foreigners to work in Bahrain on a freelance basis will be made available later this month, costing each recipient a total of BD1,169.
Authorities intend to issue 48,000 permits over the next two years, generating as much as BD56m that would otherwise have gone into the illegal visa black market.
They are designed to help stamp out the so-called “free visa” market, in which foreigners buy work permits for as much as BD1,500 and then work illegally for other employers.
The new flexi work permit scheme is designed to not only legalise such work, but also divert money from the black market into government coffers.
Those approved for the scheme will be responsible for their own fees including a BD200 work visa, BD144 healthcare fee, a BD30 monthly fee and a one-time deposit of BD90 to ensure travel tickets can be refunded in case they wish to return home.
In addition, there is a one-time BD15 discounted fee to be paid by a person whose residency has expired.
Based on that calculation an expat included in the scheme will end up paying BD1,169 for a two-year residency permit that will enable them to work in Bahrain legitimately.
“What’s the point in a worker paying BD1,500 to buy a visa, which is an unsure investment, and later get caught by our inspectors?” asked LMRA chief executive Ausamah Al Absi.
“We made our calculations and this is the safest and cheapest permit out there for workers to regularise their stay.”
A Bangladeshi man, Mohammed Ullah, yesterday became Bahrain’s first expat to be awarded the new flexi work permit as part of an advance trial.
Applications will be officially accepted from July 23 at the Sitra branch of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), with an initial 50 permits due to be awarded.
However, the plan is to ramp up the scheme and issue as many as 2,000 such permits every month.
“We have successfully issued the first flexi work permit for a Bangladeshi worker as a test phase to check our systems,” said Mr Al Absi.
“The next batch of 50 new permits will be soon issued, as we prepare to deal with hundreds of applicants from July 23 onwards.”
The permits are available for expats aged under 60 who do not have regular work permits and are therefore illegal residents.
Mr Al Absi said there had been an overwhelming response so far, with hundreds of calls, text messages and more than 50,000 enquiries through the LMRA’s Facebook page.
Those who intend to work in restaurants, hotels and salons need to also submit a medical test result along with their application.
However, Mr Al Absi warned failure to pay the BD30 month fee would result in permit being cancelled.
“We have even created a system where the worker can pay the monthly fee in advance in case they are on holiday,” he added.
The LMRA will issue a blue card for every worker accepted into the scheme bearing their photograph, which will be renewed every six months free of charge.
Meanwhile, any dispute between the freelance worker and an employer will be treated as a civil case – not a labour dispute.
The LMRA has posted multilingual tutorial videos on its YouTube account explaining the flexi work permit process and issued leaflets as part of a nationwide awareness drive.
“As part of our promotional campaign, short videos highlighting the scheme are being screened at Al Hamra Cinema,” said Mr Al Absi.
“We have also partnered with different expat associations to organise road shows to educate people about this scheme.”
Anyone interested in the scheme should send their CPR numbers via a text message to 33150150 to check if they are eligible.
They will receive a reply stating whether they are eligible and, if so, given an appointment at the LMRA’s branch in Sitra Industrial Area to process their application.
For more information, contact the LMRA’s flexible work permit call centre on 17103103 or visit www.lmra.bh.
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