Parliament passes bill to revise expatriate fees every 1.5 years
The amendment will change the fee every 18 months at most by a regulation made under the law.
Parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the Employment Act to increase the monthly work permit fee and annual quota fee payable by foreign workers every 1.5 years.
The bill was passed by 65 votes in favour. Ten members of the opposition MDP voted against it.
The current amount of work permit fee and quota fee is determined directly by the Employment Act. It is:
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MVR 350 per month as work permit fee
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MVR 2,000 per annum as quota fee
The amendment will change the fee every 18 months at most by a regulation made under the law. The amendment states:
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That both fees may be reviewed and modified at least once every three years or for a maximum period of not less than one and a half years (18 months)
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The fee fixed after revision shall not exceed 30% of the prescribed fee at that time
As a result, the current work permit fee can be hiked from MVR 350 to MVR 455 for the first time. There is also the possibility of the quota fee rising from MVR 2,000 to MVR 2,600.
The next amendment in the bill is to require foreigners to deposit a security deposit with the ministry. However, no specific number was specified.
