You must talk to your HR. These days the good companies - and I mean the only ones worth considering - will bring you in with your family and sort out the RPs for you. It's NOT a job for an amateur. Who would come without their family on a vague promise, anyway? Because you are British it's easier. Your husband can come with you on a tourist visa which is renewable essentially indefinitely with visa runs to Bahrain or Dubai every two months. But his and your RPs should take no longer than a month. A problem is that your kids can't enroll in school without their RPs being completed. Not that there are any good schools accepting kids except on a waiting list at this point anyway. If I were you I would not take the coming out to Qatar while your employer takes their sweet time sorting out your personal life, it's too important. If they can't give you firm commitments on hubby and kids tell them "no thanks." And yes, this is what all the US employers do. As I say, who would come without these guarantees? If your company does not do these things because it cannot or will not do them then say sayonara. You also need to do some more research on hubby's job. If he is hired he can no longer be on your sponsorship which means if he is fired, he can't get another job in Qatar for two years. Also, as a local hire he will be drastically low-balled in terms of salary. Oh, well, all I can say is that this job better be worth both your salaries and your kids' educations!
Mandi
You must talk to your HR. These days the good companies - and I mean the only ones worth considering - will bring you in with your family and sort out the RPs for you. It's NOT a job for an amateur. Who would come without their family on a vague promise, anyway? Because you are British it's easier. Your husband can come with you on a tourist visa which is renewable essentially indefinitely with visa runs to Bahrain or Dubai every two months. But his and your RPs should take no longer than a month. A problem is that your kids can't enroll in school without their RPs being completed. Not that there are any good schools accepting kids except on a waiting list at this point anyway. If I were you I would not take the coming out to Qatar while your employer takes their sweet time sorting out your personal life, it's too important. If they can't give you firm commitments on hubby and kids tell them "no thanks." And yes, this is what all the US employers do. As I say, who would come without these guarantees? If your company does not do these things because it cannot or will not do them then say sayonara. You also need to do some more research on hubby's job. If he is hired he can no longer be on your sponsorship which means if he is fired, he can't get another job in Qatar for two years. Also, as a local hire he will be drastically low-balled in terms of salary. Oh, well, all I can say is that this job better be worth both your salaries and your kids' educations!
Mandi