As of the first of August, Bahrain will have a new law to regulate the local transfers of expatriate workers, including those who have violated certain labor and immigration regulations, according to the Khaleej Times.
The law issued by the ministry for labor and social affairs would allow a timeframe of six months for the completion of the necessary process for both expatriate workers and the competent government authorities.
Quoting a senior official at the ministry, the paper said that during the six-month period, expatriate workers would be able to legally transfer their sponsorship to other employers, following a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the current employer and without infringement of the worker's rights.
The official further pointed out that the NOC, however, would not be required in a number of cases, such as when the worker's residence permit had already expired, or the job or the project for which the worker was employed had been duly completed.
"The NOC will not be necessary even when the establishment that employed the worker had gone bankrupt, changed its activities or closed down,” the official added.
NOC's are not needed by expatriate workers who have not received their salary for three consecutive months for no valid reason, those who have been employed without a labor permit after the worker has left or escaped a previous employer and have not reported to the concerned authorities within one month of this act, the official explained.
The cost of the legal transfer will be BD100, the same as for issuing a new work permit, said the daily – Albawaba.com
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