In my case, I was originally told it would take about a month. In fact, it took about three months. I have a British passport and am single.
However, that may have no bearing on how long it will take to process your visa, as you will be working for a different company.
It's my understanding there can be complications due to dual nationality and people with dual nationality can experience long delays in their visa processing.
I think that if the employee handbook says it will take a month, then HR will tell you, it will take a month. But the guidelines in the employee handbook doesn't necessarily bear much resemblance to the speed (or rather lack of it) with which the relevant Qatari authorities actually process the paperwork.
I think the standard advice is: Don't resign from your current position unless and until you actually have the visa.
A few people have been caught out by resigning as soon as they signed their offer letter and sent back the supporting documentation, believing it would take a month to process their visa. But then there was a delay, they completed their notice and finished work at their previous employer and ended up unemployed and without an income for two or three months before their visa came through.
So, it's best to wait until you get your visa and *then* resign.
By all accounts, some visas for people working for other companies, perhaps with more 'wasta' (connections/influence) have received their visas more quickly, so it isn't necessarily the case that it will take months either.
I've tried to elaborate a bit more on what gotcha said, above, it really is a matter of 'how long is a piece of string'.
In my case, I was originally told it would take about a month. In fact, it took about three months. I have a British passport and am single.
However, that may have no bearing on how long it will take to process your visa, as you will be working for a different company.
It's my understanding there can be complications due to dual nationality and people with dual nationality can experience long delays in their visa processing.
I think that if the employee handbook says it will take a month, then HR will tell you, it will take a month. But the guidelines in the employee handbook doesn't necessarily bear much resemblance to the speed (or rather lack of it) with which the relevant Qatari authorities actually process the paperwork.
I think the standard advice is: Don't resign from your current position unless and until you actually have the visa.
A few people have been caught out by resigning as soon as they signed their offer letter and sent back the supporting documentation, believing it would take a month to process their visa. But then there was a delay, they completed their notice and finished work at their previous employer and ended up unemployed and without an income for two or three months before their visa came through.
So, it's best to wait until you get your visa and *then* resign.
By all accounts, some visas for people working for other companies, perhaps with more 'wasta' (connections/influence) have received their visas more quickly, so it isn't necessarily the case that it will take months either.
I've tried to elaborate a bit more on what gotcha said, above, it really is a matter of 'how long is a piece of string'.