50% reduction in settlement amount for companies not legalizing their workers' status

Law No. 21 of 2015 regulating the entry and exit of expatriates and their residence

The Unified Services Department, through the service centers, continues to receive requests for expatriate workers working in companies in violation of the provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 regulating the entry and exit of expatriates and their residence within the time limit for correcting illegal conditions for violating expatriates.

Brig. Abdullah Al-Ansari, Director of the Unified Services Department, stated that it has been decided to reduce the settlement amounts for the violating companies for not completing the procedures of residence permits of their workers or not renewing them, by 50%, during the grace period for correcting the status of expatriates who violated the Provisions of the Law. The grace period started on October 10, 2021 and ends on December 31, 2021. This is in accordance with article 45 of the law regulating the entry, exit, and residence of expatriates.

He added that in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (21) of 2015 regulating the entry and exit of expatriates and their residence, the violating expatriate or violating employer must submit a request for reconciliation within the specified period to the Search and Follow up Department or to any of the service centers including Umm Sulal Services Center, Umm Sunaim Services Center, Musaimeer Services Center, Al Wakra Services Center and Al Rayyan Services Center. This is to consider the exemption or reduction of the amount of the reconciliation based on the provisions of the aforementioned law.

Brigadier Al-Ansari called on all groups benefiting from the correction of their illegal status (expatriates violating residency, expatriates violating work visa, and expatriates violating family visit visas) to visit the aforementioned department or centers, during the above-mentioned period, from 1.00PM until 6.00PM. He noted that the service centers received nearly twenty thousand requests from company workers up to now after the grace period started. He expects an increase in turnout after the announcement of a reduction of 50% in the settlement amount.

He said that the procedures are easy, and there is complete coordination with the Ministry of Labor and flexibility by the Ministry of the Interior.

Source: MoI