A new office, which will work in tandem with Bahrain's General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (GDNPR), will process residence permit and work visa applications for expatriates in the kingdom.

It opened yesterday (October 2) at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) in Sanabis.

"We processed 80 per cent of applications that were received on the same day with the help of this office set up at the LMRA," said Interior Ministry assistant under-secretary for nationality, passports and residence affairs Shaikh Ahmed bin Isa Al Khalifa.

LMRA chief executive Ausamah Al Absi told a Press conference yesterday that the new office would process applications faster.

In a presentation, he said the LMRA - in conjunction with the GDNPR - had processed a total of 102,699 work permit applications until August, 125,484 applications last year and 117,491 applications in 2010.

"Initially, in 2008, we had three staff working with GDNPR and now plan to have 27 staff working collectively," said Al Absi.

Meanwhile, Shaikh Ahmed revealed plans by the GDNPR to branch out into different communities in Bahrain.

"We have an office in Muharraq that deals with residence permit and work visa applications and plans are drawn to refurbish the current office in Isa Town and further open a new office in the Central Governorate," he said.

He said this was part of an effort to make its services more user-friendly.

"We are becoming more customer-oriented, which means we should provide services in co-operation with the LMRA as this is one of the goals of the labour market reforms to allow expatriates to work in Bahrain," he explained.

The new office will bring together several services under one roof.

"We are now converging all services by setting up this office in LMRA that will handle applications and clarifications in a short span of time," said Shaikh Ahmed.

He added the GDNPR headquarters on Exhibition Avenue would continue to function normally. – TradeArabia News Service