Qatar's ‘illegals’ scramble to leave under amnesty

DOHA, Qatar - Kalawani has spent the past six years hiding from the Qatari authorities, but finally she is going home to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2010.
The former housemaid is one of 9,000 undocumented residents expected to leave Qatar before December 1 after Doha introduced a three-month amnesty for those living in the country illegally to leave without "legal consequences".
Kalawani ran away after her employer refused to pay her monthly wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals ($275, 260 euros), a common problem.
"I didn't get any salary from my sponsor," she says while waiting for her papers to be approved.
Under Qatar's strict sponsorship laws, anyone wishing to change their job must get permission from their employer, so Kalawani became an "illegal" after fleeing.
She has existed by relying on her family for help and working in a cafe, though that was also illegal as her entry visa to Qatar allowed her to work only as a housemaid.
"This amnesty is good for me. I want to go home," she says quietly.
Under normal rules, she could be facing a huge fine or imprisonment for absconding.
Today, all she has to provide is her passport, ID card or entry visa into Qatar and a plane ticket home -- or at least enough cash to buy one.
Once approved, she will have seven days to leave.
300 people every day
Like all those leaving during the grace period, Kalawani's case is being processed by the Search and Follow Up Department.
Located on the southwestern fringes of Doha, the department is surrounded by a dusty car park, a few palm trees and the hum of one of Qatar's busiest highways.
But the crowds of people outside, and a few packed suitcases propped up against a wall, hint at something happening inside the unremarkable looking building.
Through a small door marked "Reception", about two dozen people wait patiently to register.
From there they will pass to the much grander "Initial Proceedings Hall", a large tent complete with chandeliers and separate queuing spaces for men and women.
The tent buzzes with activity.
Ministry of Interior officers carry out background checks and take all applicants' fingerprints "for the records".
"When we first started (the amnesty), it was like 100 people a day. Now we are coming to the end, it's about 300 each day," one officer says.
‘I can't go home’
There is no official figure for how many "illegals" live among Qatar's 1.8 million migrant workforce.
It is though a highly sensitive subject.
People approached by AFP prior to visiting the department said they had been told not to speak to the international media.
Officials are wary as Qatar has faced constant criticism of its treatment of workers since winning the right to host the 2022 football World Cup.
The authorities point to labor reforms including the impending end of the sponsorship rules and the Wage Protection System which ensures workers get paid.
Officials say most of those who will take advantage of the amnesty come from Asia, including Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.
In the "Exit Hall", where "illegals" receive final approval to leave, is Sajad, from Kerala, India.
"I had some problems with my sponsor, salary and security issues," he says about his eight months outside the law.
He found out about the amnesty on Facebook -- the Ministry of Interior's initial announcement was made on social media and translated into 14 different languages.
"I am going to go home, inshallah (God willing). I am going to go straight from here," he says with a smile.
He can buy his plane ticket in the Qatar Airways office on site.
Less happy is a nearby Nigerian electrical technician.
He declines to give his name but says he was marked as "absconded" after going home on holiday. 
While back in Africa, a close relative died and he attended the funeral, informed his bosses he would be late back to Doha -- but says his company told the authorities he had fled.
When he returned to Qatar, he was arrested and placed in prison.
"This is bad, very, very bad," he says angrily. "This is an embarrassment, the way they treat people."
"My company should not have taken any action against me. I cannot cope with this environment anymore."
Ahmed Faram, a 42-year-old Nepalese driver, has spent more than two years outside the law and is resigned to leaving -- but wants to return for work.
"If it's possible to come back, I will come back, inshallah."
Others though have little hope of ending their illegal status.
A Pakistani construction worker waiting outside the department says his sponsor stole his passport and is demanding 10,000 riyals to return it.
"I cannot go home," he says. — Agence France-Presse

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more