Qatar has announced a host of labour law reforms that include replacing its controversial sponsorship system with a scheme based on employment contracts. The government also said it will scrap the exit permit law requiring workers to obtain an employer’s consent to leave Qatar.

The new reforms, which were issued following a review of the country’s labour rules by law firm DLA Piper, will include a new exit system which will “automatically grant” an exit permit to an employee after a 72-hour grace period prior to departure.

Foreign workers also will no longer be required to receive a no-objection letter from their employer to change jobs once they have completed their contract period.

While acknowledging that the new reforms are a “positive” step forward, human rights group Amnesty International has criticised the new measures for not going far enough to address the abuses against migrant workers.

“Based on today’s announcement, the proposals appear to be a missed opportunity,” says James Lynch, Amnesty International’s researcher on migrants’ rights in the Gulf. “The government claims it is abolishing the sponsorship system, but this sounds like a change of name rather than substantive reform. In particular, it remains unclear how proposed reforms to the exit permit will work in practice, and whether under the new proposal employers will retain the ability to object to workers leaving the country.”

Qatar has faced a wave of criticism since winning the right to host football’s Fifa World Cup in 2022, including its treatment of migrant workers and uncertainty about the scope of its plans for building the stadiums and infrastructure needed to host the tournament.  

Earlier this month the Washington-based IMF issued a report stating that Qatar may cut some major development projects that are planned ahead of the tournament to avoid construction bottlenecks and cost overruns, as well as to ensure projects are delivered on time.