Qatar ends exit permits for most migrant workers

According to the new legislation adopted by Qatar, migrant workers in Qatar covered by the Labour Code will no longer have to secure exit permits to leave the country.

Law No. 13 of 2018, amends provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015  and Law No. 1 of 2017, which regulate the entry and exit of expatriates. Under the previous legal framework, all migrant workers were required to obtain an exit permit from their employer to leave Qatar. With this new law, migrant workers covered by the Labour Code can leave Qatar without having to obtain such a permit. 

However, employers will still be allowed to require up to five percent of their workforce to request permission to leave, after submitting their names to the government, based on the nature of work.

Additionally,  workers will have to obtain their employers' consent before changing the job. The government's other pledged reforms include the introduction of a minimum wage and a grievance procedure for workers. 

Dr. Issa Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs was quoted in media saying, “The adoption of this law is another step in our continued drive to provide decent work for all migrant workers in Qatar and to ensure their protection."

Image Credits: Al Jazeera