Qatar revise work visa rules, family visa requirements remain unchanged
Qatar's Ministry of Interior has introduced additional changes to the procedures for hiring workers under Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.
Going forward, employers will need to get approval for work visas from the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) before applying at the Ministry of Interior, according to local daily The Peninsula.
The employers may get their requests for visas approved from the MADLSA without names of employees initially. Employers may then present a copy of the passport, MADLSA approval and job contract to the MoI when the employee is hired and ready to sign the job contract.
The employer will then receive the entry visa for the worker, explained Brigadier Nasser Jabr Al Atiyyah, Assistant Director of the General Directorate of Passports.
However, there are no major changes in the rules for obtaining family visas and residency permits for spouses and children.
The only condition reiterated for residents seeking a family visa include a minimum monthly salary in the range of QR 7,000 to QR 10,000. Additionally, family visa seekers will have to provide a certified marriage document, along with salary certificate and bank statement for six months.
In most cases, family visa seekers make use of the family visit visa, which is much easier to get, before applying for residence permit. Qatar e-government website, Hukoomi, includes all the details and procedures to acquire a family visit visa.
Once you acquire the visit visa, you may apply to convert the visit visa to permanent residency visa by following the steps detailed in our visa guide here.
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