A general amnesty for undocumented migrant workers living illegally in Bahrain is expected to be announced soon.

The Labour Ministry has confirmed that it is working on a proposal for a two or three-month grace period when illegal migrants will be allowed to leave without penalty, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, the plan has yet to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

"The general amnesty scheme will soon be announced to allow expatriates, who have overstayed their visas, the chance to leave the country without paying penalties," Labour Under-Secretary Sabah Al Dossary told the GDN.

"It could be a two or three-month period during which the undocumented workers can leave.

"Once the Cabinet gives it the green light, hopefully by the middle of the year, the amnesty will be announced.

"This is an important step for us to allow illegal workers to either leave or regularise their stay in Bahrain."

Bahrain last held an amnesty for illegal workers in 2010.

Called the "Easy Exit" scheme, it was run by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) and saw around 6,000 immigrants, who had overstayed their visas, leave Bahrain.

A nationwide crackdown was launched once the scheme ended, which saw foreign workers without the proper documents arrested and their employers fined.

Action will again be taken against any illegal workers, who remain in Bahrain, once the amnesty period has ended this time, Al Dossary warned.

Earlier this month, LMRA chief executive Ausamah Al Absi travelled to Nepal and India, where he met officials and discussed a wide range of issues such as exploitative recruitment agents and undocumented workers.

He reportedly signed a 10-point agreement with Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment Under-Secretary Bishwa Prakash Subedi, pledging to tackle the problem.

Elsewhere in the GCC, Oman also recently announced plans to grant a similar amnesty to illegal migrant workers, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia have had similar drives in the past.

"We welcome the news of a general amnesty as it will open the door for all undocumented Nepali workers to leave Bahrain and regularise the labour market," said Nepali Club general secretary J P Sapkota.

Welcomed

Outgoing Indian Ambassador Dr Mohan Kumar also welcomed the news, but estimated that only "one to two per cent" of his nationals were in Bahrain illegally or had "irregular" status. However, the biggest beneficiaries of the amnesty will probably be the Bangladeshi community, who constitute around 80 per cent of the illegal workers in Bahrain, according to that country's ambassador Major General K M Mominur Rahman.

He told the GDN last year that there were 115,000 Bangladeshis in Bahrain, 36,572 of whom were believed to be staying illegally. – TradeArabia News Service