The kafala system began in the 1950s in the Gulf Cooperation Council member states and a few neighboring countries, and was used to monitor migrant laborers working primarily in the construction and domestic sectors. The initial economic objective was to provide short-term, rotating labor that could be swiftly brought into the country in periods of economic boom, and then expelled during less prosperous periods.
The kafala system requires all unskilled laborers to have an in-country sponsor usually their employer who is responsible for their visa and legal status. This practice has been criticized by human rights organizations for creating easy opportunities for the exploitation of workers, as many employers confiscate passports and abuse their workers but evade legal repercussions.