DOHA: Once the salaries of low-income workers begin to be transferred to banks and exchange houses as planned, the illegal trade in visas would likely be substantially curbed, say businessmen. Already, the illicit trade is on a decline following the government’s crackdown on companies dealing in ‘free’ visas, say sources.
Since banks and exchange houses don’t deal with expatriates who don’t have valid residency permit (RP) and ID card, they won’t accept the salary of expatriates without valid RP, said Mohamed Abdullah Al Marri. “This would help end the problem of runaway workers,” Al Sharq said in a report yesterday. The trend of ‘free’ visas would also decline once salaries of all low-income workers are paid through banks and exchange houses. “Surely, the black marketing in visas would end with the electronic salary transfer system being in place,” said businessman, Jabor Al Marri.
The Peninsula
