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GCC to ban criminal expats from entering region
| Published: | 2 Feb at 2 PM |
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The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) wants to establish a database to ensure it can block expats with criminal records from entering the region.
The six-country block wants the proposed joint database initiative to provide accurate information on foreign workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain or Kuwait, and if they are found to have criminal records, ban them from entering any of the states.
According to a report by Arab News, the database will contain details of the would be workers from their home countries and their previous countries of residence, and if they are found to have been involved in any kind of criminal activities they will be refused entry to GCC states.
GCC labour ministers discussed the proposal at a summit last October, with a view to reducing crime rates in all six countries. They believe rising levels of crime across the region is, in part, down to criminal foreign workers being granted residency permits.
An estimated 20 million foreign workers work within the GCC, with almost US$85bn being sent home in remittances each year.
The six-country block wants the proposed joint database initiative to provide accurate information on foreign workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain or Kuwait, and if they are found to have criminal records, ban them from entering any of the states.
According to a report by Arab News, the database will contain details of the would be workers from their home countries and their previous countries of residence, and if they are found to have been involved in any kind of criminal activities they will be refused entry to GCC states.
GCC labour ministers discussed the proposal at a summit last October, with a view to reducing crime rates in all six countries. They believe rising levels of crime across the region is, in part, down to criminal foreign workers being granted residency permits.
An estimated 20 million foreign workers work within the GCC, with almost US$85bn being sent home in remittances each year.
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