Expatriates working illegally in Bahrain have been warned against exploiting a general amnesty that allows them to return home without facing any penalties.

Foreign diplomats told the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, they fear majority of illegal residents will abuse the system and continue to work illegally until December when the six-month amnesty expires.

The initiative by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) also allows expatriate residents to legalise their stay by securing legitimate employment.

The Indian Embassy said it was expecting a last-minute rush of people seeking amnesty in December.

“We initially received an average of 15 amnesty applications which has now dropped to five applications, which shows the mentality of workers,” said first secretary Ram Singh.

“Workers are aware of the rules and know they have until December to work in the country unless they are caught by the police.

“There are awareness drives by expatriate clubs and associations about the amnesty and the illegal workers know about it and the procedures.”

Bangladesh Embassy labour counsellor Mohammed Islam said the number of requests from labourers wanting to leave Bahrain or rectify their work status has decreased over the last few weeks due to the amnesty’s long time span.

“We were initially overwhelmed by the turnout of illegal workers from our community who wanted to return back home,” he said.

“However, because of Ramadan and Eid holidays the number of cases have gone down and I believe they will be only a handful in the coming months.

“The amnesty is like an examination for all the illegal workers and they will start preparing for it only when the date comes closer.”

Of the 61,000 undocumented migrant workers in Bahrain, more than 37,000 are Bangladeshi.

The Pakistan Embassy has also been facing difficulty in convincing illegal workers to leave the country before the end of the year.

“They are poor and want to earn as much as they can,” said community welfare attaché Maqsood Shah.

“The workers know they have more than four months to continue doing odd jobs and save up as they know the amnesty runs until December.

“We strongly urge all illegal workers to report to the embassy and further request dedicated counters to handle such cases to be opened at the LMRA and the immigration office.”

Under the amnesty any illegal resident who leaves voluntarily will be able to return to Bahrain once they have secured legitimate employment, which means there is no fear of being blacklisted.

In addition, those who find a new employer willing to supply them with a visa during the amnesty period will be able to legalise their stay without the consent of their previous employer.

Illegal foreign residents who have court cases against them – including travel bans for outstanding debts – are not covered by the amnesty.

Meanwhile, 15 airline tickets will be given to Indians who want to leave the country under the general amnesty, but cannot afford to purchase tickets.

It is the brainchild of National Fire and Safety managing director V K Rajshekaran Pillai and details of the initiative were revealed at a press briefing yesterday by Kerala Catholic Association (KCA) president Sam Ancil Francis and general secretary Sovichen Chennattusserry. - TradeArabia News Service