Qatar’s emir has approved reform of the country’s “kafala” labour laws for its large population of migrant workers, the Qatar news agency reported.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a new legislation late Tuesday overseeing the sponsorship system — which currently only allows workers to leave the country with the approval of their employer — as well as rules which allow workers to switch jobs.

The new rules will allow foreign workers who want to leave Qatar to apply for permission from the interior ministry at least 72 hours beforehand.

If permission is initially denied, employees seeking to leave the country can complain to a grievance committee, which will be established under the new law.

The changes also allow foreign workers to switch jobs at the end of a fixed-term contract.

Under the current system, workers who leave a job at the end of a contract have to wait two years to return to Qatar to take up a new position, if the employer objects to the new job.

Exiting the country and changing work contracts had proved the trickiest areas to change and were the subject of debate in Qatar, with the country’s main advisory body, the Shura Council, questioning reforms earlier this summer.

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