Qatar will be revamping its kafala sponsorship system soon, but not just because of the upcoming 2022 World Cup. Rather, it wishes to correct errors, if there are any, as it develops itself further as a nation, the country’s foreign minister has said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the visiting German Foreign Minister yesterday, Dr. Khalid Al Attiyah has affirmed that labor law changes are “near,” saying:

“The State of Qatar has a vision until 2030 and not just until the hosting the World Cup 2022. We are serious and if there are errors, we will correct them and that’s what we’ve done actually when we appointed an international consultant to study what is possible to develop the relationship between the employer the worker.

We have taken steps that preceded the result of the report on the improvement of the legal procedures and we are now on the process of developing the labor law and have made serious steps, including drawing near to the amendment of the law.”

According to the DLA Piper report that Al Attiyah referenced, changes were supposed to be completed by the end of May.

Changes

However, when officials announced plans to revise the current sponsorship system, they warned it would take time and have to go through the country’s Chamber of Commerce and gain approval from the Advisory (Shura) Council.

Proposed changes include making it easier for expats to leave the country and change jobs. However, they stopped short of abolishing the exit permit system and no objection certificates required to switch employers, disappointing many expats.

Al Attiyah also said that “Qatar welcomes all who want to visit the open spaces where there are large-scale projects to inspect the safety standards and criteria for dealing with the workforce in Qatar,” QNA reports.

Thoughts?