April 29, 2023
Unpaid for seven months and now homeless, the Kenyan men await justice months after filing a complaint, even as their employer continues to be a no-show at the labour hearings.
February 8, 2023
Poorly managed and executed short-term contracts and visas add to workers' woes
November 10, 2022
Will the momentum for change continue beyond the World Cup?
September 13, 2022
Workers involved in both public protests and smaller ones that flew under the radar were deported without due process
June 22, 2022
Nepali migrants struggle with isolation, unmet expectations, and financial burdens
April 23, 2022
Uber and Careem make it easy to violate the labour rights of their drivers
March 18, 2022
Months before the World Cup, Qatar rushes to wrap up projects and companies fail their workers
The executive director of Qatar’s Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund (WSIF), Kholoud Saif Abdullah Al Kubaisi, recently stated that “over 130,000 workers have benefitted from the fund since its establishment, including its significant contribution to protecting their rights and ensuring that they receive their financial dues.” Though Al Kubaisi spoke of the fund’s transparency and its role alongside wider reforms in “reducing labour disputes and complaints,” there are still several issues that remain unaddressed.
Qatar has launched a three-month amnesty period starting from 9 February 2025, allowing foreign residents with irregular immigration status to exit the country without penalties. It is not clear if residents would be able to regularise their status. Workers can exit the country through Hamad International Airport, or alternatively, they can visit the Search and Follow-up Department on Salwa Road to complete departure procedures within the specified period.
Qatar’s Shura Council has suggested reintroducing exit permits for domestic workers, though it has rephrased the practice as ‘obtaining employer approval’ at least five days before departure.
The number of requests for job changes and rejections are on the rise in Qatar. Moreover, the rejections of new recruitment requests have also increased drastically in the last several months, likely in an effort to reduce the number of migrant workers in the country ahead of the World Cup.
Qatar's new compulsory private health insurance system for all non-citizen residents, including visitors and those employed in the public and private sectors, is being rolled out in phases. The full text of the law's executive regulations have not yet been made public.
