Deportation cost to stay with employers

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

A proposal to transfer deportation and body-transfer costs for foreign workers from employers to the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) has been rejected by the government, which warned it would leave the state footing deportation bills with limited cost recovery.

The amendment to Article 27(c) of Law No. 19 of 2006 sought to make the LMRA responsible for deportation and repatriation expenses. Currently, employers must pay for a worker’s return or, in case of death, the cost of preparing and repatriating the body if requested by the family. In emergencies, the Interior Ministry may act at the LMRA’s expense, but the Authority can fully recover costs from the last employer — a rule upheld by the Court of Cassation.

The government said the proposal would “break the contractual balance,” benefiting employers at public expense and stripping the LMRA of the right to reclaim what it spends. It also noted that the LMRA is a regulatory body, not a funding agency, and that assuming such costs would violate public finance rules. Similar laws in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Qatar hold employers responsible for deportation and body-transfer expenses, the memo a dded.

Most cases involve deportations rather than deaths, meaning the LMRA would bear heavy costs — including storage, permits, air freight, and consular fees — while recovering little.

The Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, tasked in April 2025 with drafting the MPs’ bill, noted overlap with another proposal amending the same law and recommended merging them to avoid duplication. The government has urged Parliament to reconsider the plan.