December? Oh, well, they'll probably have approval sometime in late November! I'm only half kidding. And Qatar is FULL of projects that have been promised years ago. The new airport was slated to open in 2008. It's now pushed back to what? 2015? But if she has a headhunter she's well ahead of the game. You got somebody watching your 6 in that case! And with a vested interest, to boot. All I can say is that it always takes longer than one would think humanly possible. And then to add insult to injury, it's always hurry up at the end. Is she going to sponsor you? Or will you do the visa-run thing? She will have to sponsor the kids. Be a little careful with self-employment, you cannot work without gov't approval. Should be OK if your work is outside Qatar, i.e., no financial remuneration coming from within the country. Ooooh, that does bring up those pesky Canadian taxes. Sounds like you'll have to pay them. I know, it hurts.
Mandi