Shura reviews 30-day grace period for work permit renewals

A 30-day window to renew expat work permits and a cap on how many can be issued has been proposed during a review by the Shura Council's Services Committee.
The committee, chaired by Dr Jameela Mohamed Redha Al Salman, met yesterday to discuss two amendments to Bahrain's 2006 law on labour market regulation.
Present at the meeting were Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Chief Executive Nibras Mohamed Talib and Labour Ministry Labour Relations Director Mai Hassan Al Asmi, along with senior staff from both bodies.
One proposal seeks to give employers an extra month to renew work permits without facing penalties.
As things stand, failure to renew on time means sanctions under Article 36 of the law.
The second proposal calls for the national labour market plan to set a fixed upper limit on the number of permits granted by the LMRA.
Current wording leaves that decision open-ended.
Also on the table was a draft law to regulate artistic professions.
The proposal, submitted by members Nancy Deena Elly Khedouri, Dalal Al Zayed, Khalid Al Maskati, Redha Faraj and Dr Mohamed Al Khozaie, would require anyone working in the arts to obtain a licence from the minister.
The draft sets out a plan to issue professional cards to Bahraini artists, giving them access to certain benefits.
It also includes the creation of a fund to support artistic work and provide backing for artists in the country.
The draft further calls for stronger legal cover for those working in the arts, aiming to treat the field as a recognised line of work.
It includes provisions for financial and social backing for Bahraini artists and refers to the arts as part of Bahrain's cultural identity.

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