Manama: Bahrain's Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) recently announced that the country will not allow the conversion of visit visas to work or dependent visas anymore. The latest move is part of the government’s decision to make the rules and regulations regarding the conversion of visit visas into work or dependent visas stricter. The authorities said that the new procedures would be carried out in cooperation with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority to promote the National Labour Market Plan and stop the exploitation of people arriving in the country on visit visas. However, this is likely to affect the employment prospects of hundreds of job seekers.
Currently, lots of aspirants from Kerala and other GCC countries are in Bahrain looking for employment opportunities. Most people choose to fly to Bahrain as the cost of living is comparatively less. Besides, it is easier to migrate to other countries including Saudi Arabia from Bahrain. Aspirants are worried about the latest decision by the authorities to regulate the process of converting visit visas into work or dependent visas.
