Qatar lifts exit visa system benefit to Asian worker

Qatar amended its residency laws  to allow most foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers, a provision which labour rights groups have long said should be abolished.

Employers will still be allowed to require up to 5%of their workforce to request permission to leave, after submitting their names to the government “with justifications based on the nature of the work”, Qatar said in a statement quoting minister oflabour and social affairs Issa al-Nuaimi.

Labour groups have attacked Qatar for its “kafala” sponsorship system. Qatar’s system still requires the country’s 1.6 million mainly Asian foreign workers to obtain their employers’ consent before changing jobs, which the groups say leaves workers open to abuse. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) hailed the move as a “significant step” for Qatar. AFP