Foreigners working on expired visas in Bahrain will face prosecution or deportation, under a new system.

The new Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) initiative comes into effect as part of efforts to clean up the labour market.

Employers had been given until yesterday to renew the expired visas of their staff.

Those visas that have not been renewed will be automatically cancelled as of today and the holders have until the end of this month to leave the country, according to an LMRA statement.

Companies will no longer be able to renew expatriate visas at any time and must now submit relevant application documentation six months before visas are due to expire.

Speaking to our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News, an LMRA official said any expatriates caught working on an expired visa could be fined and prosecuted.

The move follows the introduction of a BD10 monthly levy for expat workers last year.-TradeArabia News Service