Expat cap strikes back
The controversial plan to
limit how long expatriates can live in the Gulf has raised its head
again, with news labour ministers have submitted a proposal to the GCC
Council of Ministers to bring the cap into force. Some media reports claimed the decision was postponed due to
pressure from businesses, which had been vocal in their opposition to
the cap.
Labour ministers sparked outcry among expatriates last year when the
plan to limit unskilled and semi-skilled workers to six years in any one
Gulf state was first announced.
The final decision on the cap was supposed to be made by Gulf leaders at
last year's GCC summit in Doha, but was deferred until this year's
summit in Muscat.
According to Kuwaiti daily Arab Times, labour ministers are currently
discussing whether expats' stay should be capped at five or six years
and which professions should be exempt.
Sources citied by the newspaper said doctors, lawyers and consultants are some of the professions that might be exempt.
Ministers have also yet to agree upon a timeframe by which Gulf states must implement the measure if it gets approved.
Advocates of the cap say it is necessary to stop the erosion of local
culture and to stem soaring unemployment among nationals, while
opponents accuse ministers of being shortsighted and misguided, claiming
the move could have dire consequences for the region's economies.
