{{Qatar has moved to change controversial laws on foreign workers amid mounting criticism ahead of the 2022 World Cup. }}
The Gulf state has come under pressure to drop rules tying migrant workers to a single employer amid an influx ahead of the football tournament.
Human rights campaigners have accused Qatar’s current sponsorship system of being akin to modern-day slavery.
The draft law is part of a range of proposed labour reforms but there is no timeline for their implementation.
Expatriates make up the bulk of the workforce in the country.
More than 180 migrant workers died in Qatar last year and a significant number are believed to have suffered injuries as a result of unsafe working practices.
There have also been complaints about the standard of accommodation many workers live in.
{{Reform package}}
Officials announced the proposed changes at a news conference in the capital Doha on Wednesday.
They said they hoped to introduce “a system based on employment contracts” as part of a reform package.
The reforms are also designed to end the longstanding requirement that foreign workers obtain their employer’s consent before leaving the country.
This received global attention after a French-Algerian footballer was forced to stay in the country for nearly two years over a dispute with Qatari club El-Jaish over unpaid wages.
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