from The Peninsula
DOHA • The exit permit system is all set to be removed under a new sponsorship regime, suggests the draft of the proposed legislation which was published by a local Arabic daily here yesterday. And working resident women may be allowed to sponsor their husbands and children provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria.
The draft makes it illegal for sponsors to retain the passports of their foreign workers after completing the visa formalities (renewal or fresh issuance) unless it is mutually agreed between the two parties that their passports or travel documents are to be deposited with their employers.
The minister in-charge or an authority appointed by him will have the right to order change of sponsorship in the case of domestic workers who have been abused by their employers. But the draft retains almost all other features of the existing rules that govern the work and stay of residents and their families here.
For instance, residents cannot change their sponsorship unless they get permission from their employers. Only the minister in-charge will have the right to order a change of sponsorship or, in the case of a worker having legal dispute with his employer, can allow a resident to temporarily work elsewhere.
Interestingly, the draft suggests that the Department of Labour can also recommend to the minister or the authority concerned to change the sponsorship of a foreign worker on valid grounds.
A resident who was here on a work visa but left the country for good after quitting the job or having been dismissed can come back to take up employment with any other company only after a gap of two years – the gap period is to be calculated from the date of his departure from Doha.
However, the minister in-charge or an authority deputed by him will have the right to waive this condition.
The draft also suggests that a department be set up exclusively to look after the implementation of the new sponsorship law and closely monitor the new entry and employment regime.
Foreign workers entering the country and their sponsors are required to complete residence formalities within seven working days from the date of their arrival.
Residents can stay outside the country for up to six months continuously and can apply for extension for another six months after paying a fee, provided they have a residence permit (RP) which is valid for 60 days at the time of their re-entry.The draft suggests that residents have to apply for RP for a newborn within 60 days from the date of their birth even if the birth has taken place outside Qatar.
It is, however, anybody's guess if the new sponsorship law, which is yet to be enforced, will have all the provisions which the draft outlines.
