A meeting between Bahrain’s Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) and Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) saw the reviewing of streamlining visa services, exchange of expertize, and the prospect of e-residency service to be launched in the first quarter of 2022, said official sources.
Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, the Interior Ministry Undersecretary for NPRA, and Jamal Abdulaziz Al Alawi, the Chief Executive of LMRA, attended the meeting with other officials.
Khalifa hailed the development of the authority to enhance services, and said that it would promote the investment environment and coordination mechanism in processing applications without the need for in-person attendance.
Sources said that both sides also discussed cooperation at ports and the possibility to extend the validity of visas to reduce routine procedures.
The NPRA and LMRA also agreed to intensify inspection campaigns to tackle violations of the labor market and residency rules.
They noted that opening a passports office at the LMRA branch in Riffa is part of procedures to facilitate operations, especially getting the residency stickers without the need to go to the NPRA centers.
The parties decided to replace the stickers with the e-residency services at the end of the first quarter of the current year.
Alawi asserted that the NPRA was a crucial partner in many services; thus, cooperation represents an example of government integration efforts since the establishment of LMRA in 2008.
He said both sides would work together to enhance services and intensify inspection campaigns to develop the labor market.
The two sides also decided to form a team of the executive management of both sides to ensure ongoing facilitation and development of procedures.
Finally, the undersecretary directed to increase visits and cooperation between the two authorities to work as a team in providing the best services for all segments of the society.