DAMMAM, 5 August 2003 — Visas for domestic workers are now being issued by the Labor Office instead of the Passports Office, which until recently was responsible for them.
According to Passports Office officials, a team from their office was originally sent to assist the Labor Office in processing visas. “But now our team is back, and staff at the Labor Office are handling their new job efficiently,” an official at the Passports Office told Arab News.
Visas for domestic help like drivers, maids and housekeepers used to be issued by the Passports Office, but it was felt that the process was too tedious and involved too much paper work. Those seeking visas had to run from the Labor Office to the Passports Office and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Visa seekers for domestic help now have to visit the Labor Office, and once the procedure is completed there, they collect the required slip from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The new system not only simplifies the procedure but also protects the interests of domestic workers as the Labor Office will now have direct access to all kinds of information about them.
Social activists have been stressing the need for reforms for the domestic workers as there have been countless instances of exploitation and mistreatment.
The government on several occasions has stressed that the dignity of workers has to be protected and no workers — local or foreign — should be deprived of their basic rights.
Manpower agencies in the Eastern Province say that such measures will eliminate the misuse of domestic worker visas and will also allow the Labor Office to keep tabs on workers and their situation.
