Work Visa Process Duration
Good day everybody.
I would be grateful if someone could offer me any advice with regard to my situation. At the beginning of November I signed a contract offer for a company based in Qatar and, along with educational certificates and a passport copy as requested, I sent it back to the company to be passed on and processed by the Ministry of the Interior. It has now been 5 weeks since I have done this and I have not yet received my visa. I understand that Eid holidays are occurring this week so this may delay the process somewhat. It may or may not be useful for you to know that I am applying on a British passport. If anyone has any in depth knowledge of the process, duration, and also if there is any likelyhood that a work visa may be rejected, I would very much appreciate to hear from you so that I can somewhat plan the next few weeks prior to moving to Doha (I hope).
Thank you in advance for your time and effort.
any comments about entry visa duration for approval
now me in same boat to wait
have they applied for your visa and when will it be ready. my vusa application was submitted around 19 the august. i was told that the ministry is only processing one visa per day per company.
have they applied for your visa and when will it be ready. my vusa application was submitted around 19 the august. i was told that the ministry is only processing one visa per day per company.
have they applied for your visa and when will it be ready. my vusa application was submitted around 19 the august. i was told that the ministry is only processing one visa per day per company.
I am a pharmacist selected by Hmc,I signed offer june 02 2011, credential doc verification completed 17 july 2011.How long does take visa to release, kindly help me with your advice please
my agent asked me to give my original passport (not the copy) so that it will help to fasten the speed of visa process. is it really required or is it a way to ensure that i did not accept any other job offers form other recrutment agencies???? what is the actual requiremnt... what u folks say about it????
Hi all,
i want to know if this issue is real or just a joke.
I have applied through a Qatar governmental institute 2 weeks ago
and I called and they said the paper is in process.
They did not say it is banned or not they just say it is under process.
Any news
Thanks
just need an answer on this... I already submitted my credentials last April 28 to one of the sports government office here in doha since I am the final candidate suited for the vacant position (IT Staff) I applied before but they told me to wait for 1-2 months for the reason that it takes 1-2 months to process my papers. Is there really an assurance on this?
After long long waiting ... i got my Visa.
Thanks for all of You Guys for help extended to me.
will fly to doha in next two weeks. :D
Regards //
Sir
I Hope you are well by the bless of God. I am a Bangladeshi boy. My name is Kamruzzaman. Age : 22. I am working Computer servicing, and net to phone 3 year's working and Mobile servicing and Mobile Flash, Memory Download from 3 year's . sir a wor
Sir
I Hope you are well by the bless of God. I am a Bangladeshi boy. My name is Kamruzzaman. Age : 22. I am working Computer servicing, and net to phone 3 year's working and Mobile servicing and Mobile Flash, Memory Download from 3 year's . sir a wor
[email protected]
Hi Qatarisun,
you said:
===========
And in general, i would say, the visa process duration depends on couple of factors:
1. your nationality. in some cases the government office needs more time for security check;
2. the PRO of your Company. Some of them are so lazy, you literally have to wake them up every morning if you want them to get your things done.
==============
so
1- what are done there in security check, what they are doing if you know please let us know.
2- what is PRO .. ?
Regards //
are you aware that QNB is not government authority .. it is a bank but the oldest one in Qatar so it is called sometimes semi-government place. if so then the rules for private companies should be followed.
Regards //
Issuing visa will never take so long as you guys have mentioned above...
Business Visa : Will be issued within 24 hours ( Max - 48 Hours)
Employment Visa : Will be issued within 24 hours ( Max - 1 Week)
If your visa is not issued as mentioned above,,,, than your company has not submitted documents properly.
Your visa is issued by some other company and you are not aware of it...
Your company HR people should provide you valid reason for your visa application rejection.
Hope this helps...
Wokk visa process required only 12 hrs.
If we applied this evening around 5pm, we can get approval on next day around 10.30am.
Im sorry to hear ur story !!
could you tell us the name of the newspaper and date that news have been published.?
Regards //
Dear Mohamed Arafa
you are right, but let me clarify the whole case depends on my experience and the news i get from Qatar.
there is no banning or rejecting for the Egyptians visa as you imagine but the truth is the governmental authorities in Qatar have very strict instructions from the government (the prime minister) to stop hiring the Egyptians for a while but the private sector is free to do that or not.
to be clear it is a confidential instructions but recently a local Qatari newspaper has declared that news and trust me what I've said is the diffidently complete truth and this action is due to the contrary situations have been taking by the 2 nations it is the politics my friend
yassor
Dears,
i was wrong, maybe my friend's special case. but i have just got news from Egyptian i know, that he would go to Qatar next week for work.
Visa ban is not correct then, big rumor then :)
it was mandatory to announce that.
regards //
Qatarisun,
one of my Egyptian friends told me that when he applied for qatari company .. everything went with him great, up to the visa issuance, they told him their apologies that they could not take him these days, perhaps later. so he understood from that it is coz visa can not be issued.
that is the info i have, also i said "please everybody correct me if i am wrong." so if i am wrong somebody gonna correct me.
regards //
mohamed.arafa, who told you that egyptian visas are banned? what a nonsense is that?
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
would u know how can i apply for a visa at AL DEERA Travel Agency do i need to email them? or call them\
thanks..
emily
Hi everybody,
how can i know that the work visa is rejected. taking into account that i do not have the Application number to check about iton MOI Site. does HR tell you when that happen ..?
Regards //
hey everybody,
anyone in the same boat now, or i am boat alone .?!!
Regards //
Yasso ...
did u ask any of your friends about reason for that ... as per my info egyptians are not allowed these days to enter qatar so Visas are banned for them, please everybody correct me if i am wrong.
Regards //
i am waiting to get the Visa ... also the same response from HR " Visa in Progress ..!!!"
Regards //
Yasso, I had a similar story with qatari gouverment authorithy...
Oh, yassor, I'm so sorry! You waited so patiently and faithfully. You were treated abominably!
Mandi
i will tell you my story with working in Qatar, it is too interesting and your comments will be most welcomed
1- June 2007 I've interviewed in QNB in Doha and agreed with them that my position will be a head of department for 24,500 QR
2- July 2007 I've recieved an offer for 17000 for officer position and I've refused it of course
3- July 2008 (no wonder, yes the date is right)I've received a phone call from a recruitment office asking me if i have the intention to accept new offer from QNB and i said no problem
4- October 2008 I've received a phone call from the man who interviewed me one year ago he is the line manager asking me if i would accept offer for a head of department for 24500 but i asked 30000 QR but finally after nonsense negotiation we've agreed 28,400 QR
5- October 2008 I've received their final offer, accepted it
6- November 2008 I've submitted all my documents after a lot of suffering to finalize it here in my country and spending good amount
7- December 2008,jan 09 followed with them asking about my visa and the common ward "is in process"
8- the first two weeks of February 2009 i sent mails to the HR specialists (Qatari girl and guy) with no answer at all
9- 19th of February 2009 I've called my line manager and he confirmed that my visa is in process and he needs me urgently in his department and it is too long period i admit but i will get back to you soon with the visa
10- 22th of February i sent an email to the HR specialists (Qatari girl and guy)and she advised that we sent you a regret letter at last 3rd of February on your personal mail and - i always communicate with them using the business mail- the regret bases believe it or not is due to change in business priorities and they didn't asked for my visa basically, based on the above we are so sorry and your CV will be in our database and we will call you, and I've replied that fuck you, your country as well and your way of communications
thanks everyone, this my last post in QL and i've pleasured to communicate with you all
bye and good luck
yassor
oh.. pablo_kastro .. this is entirely up to your Company's PRO. Be aware that as an exception the RP can be issued in 3-4 days! but in the real world it usually takes about 1 month... some PROs manage to drag it 3 and even 4 months! All you have to do is to push your PRO!
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
How about the processing of RP? how many days/months it will take? thanks!
same here...i've been waiting for almost 3 months and no update get except to "still in process" =(
I'm sure that you will get yours soon. since they told you that your visa is under process, so it is ...
Good luck for you... :)
i submitted my all documents 14 weeks ago and strangely it is in process so far i called them today and they confirmed that the visa is in progress, what the damn visa we are waiting for.
i feel if it is like the visa to the paradise
yassor
Hey saberr, hey friends,
I just want to share this with you...
Finally after nearly 6 weeks from the date of submitting my police clearance, I have just got my visa today. It was sent to me attached with my air ticket in an e-mail.
I hope all the best for you all...
Thank you
Hello All,
I got my visa last week. Will be in Doha in Apr.
Regards
AK
A message to those who are waiting for their visa, Did you get eventually them?
annicaclaire17, no one knows how long one has to wait. It might be depending on the company which is issuing visa (through the agencies it becomes harder and harder), depending on PRO of the Company (how fast and experienced he is), depending on your qualifications (the higher educational level - easier to get the visa).. and so on... but sometimes even with the equal conditions of two persons, one of them gets visa, another doesn't. Also,the companies are given a quota for certain nationality, gender, professions, etc. So if your Company exceeded its limit for filipinas, it becomes very difficult. It's up to you either to wait or not. It's like in the personal relationship: you love the guy, and he kinda likes you, but not in hurry to propose.. so.. it’s up to you either to wait for him for years.. or to move on and to get another fiancé.. :)
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
HI qatarisun..if that so, so how long will female applicants wait?....do you have an idea.. or is it still advisable to wait???? thanks for your reply in advance...
annicaclaire17, it IS really hard to get a working visa for FILIPINA female, especially "under an agency"..
Too many cases of trading filipinas visas lately...
I guess the Government kind of wants to clear it up.. and they have all rights to do so!
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Hi qatarisun
i am Egyptian and waiting for 3 months, do we face the same problem
thanx
Dear annicaclaire17, we are all in same boat!
Hi there,...i'm a filipina, I was hired by one of those company in qatar later of november under an agency as an accountant, and applied my working visa first week of December,( as per my agency) but until now, I haven't received any feed back from them except to "still for approval"..its been 10 weeks of waiting and I am about to loose my hope and patience...can anybody help me..is it really hard to apply a working visa to qatar especially for female employee? Is it really usual for them to process it that long?
Thanks and Best Regards
Call after a couple of days. If you get another lame answer then start to look around for other options.
Mandi
It's been a long long time friends.
Waiting from 05 Dec'08 desperately but in vain nothing popped up till date.
Surprisingly, one person interviewed along with me got it last week.
Called the consultancy here in Chennai,they replied after 20 days.
Called the main contractor yesterday at Mumbai - he says you may proceed further if you're coming across other opportunities. What a lame answer.
But today somehow I directly called the company in Qatar (just to have a hope)they advised me to call after a couple of days.
What next? Wait or get lost from this idea of joining this company?
Pls advise if possible.
Thanks.
Thank you Qatarisun for your precious pieces of information...i thought that work visa should be stamped in your passport before you leave your country...but you have just cleared things up...
Many thanks indeed.
best of luck for everybody :)
take good care.
Work Visa is NOT stamped into your passport. Only Residence Permit is. when you finish all steps of getting RP, it will be stamped into your passport.
and hey, sam, he also need another few dozens of drinks BEFORE coming to Qatar.. ha! Do you think receiving a visa is a Happy End? No, bro, it’s not a Hollywood movie here.. guess what! It’s only beginning of more stress… so guys be ready!
And in general, i would say, the visa process duration depends on couple of factors:
1. your nationality. in some cases the government office needs more time for security check;
2. the PRO of your Company. Some of them are so lazy, you literally have to wake them up every morning if you want them to get your things done.
so my suggestion to everybody is not just to sit and wait, but to keep pushing their lazy a$$es..
yeah, and in some cases, visa will never be issued, for different reasons..
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
i applied for QNB and waiting since 10/11/2008
yassor
Guy which of company did you guys applied? PM me
My HR director has been telling me next week for the past 3 months. I don't think anyone has a clue on how long this process takes or if there is such a thing as a process!!!
well, I have read many topics and many comments in this forum and I heard some of them got their work Visa in 7 days, some of them in 2 weeks...some of them 6 weeks...and others even more than three months...so it depends on your company and on your nationality...and some other criterias...the best solution is to stay in contact with your HR department. good luck :)
best wishes
Hello,
I accepted offer from one of the Q company in Nov 08 (last week of the month). They say they applied for visa in 1st week of Dec 08. Just wanted to know if it takes 2 or more months to process the visa? the HR said is expected any time.
Appreciate your replies.
Regards,
for me. no news. since I'm waiting for my visa nearly 4 weeks ago...I'm still crossing my fingers and waiting...:D. I hope that this financial crisis will not affect our futur jobs
best wishes
Hi everyone, any good news?
Guys allow me to add: Check with your Qatari employer when does your employment commence. If you're not employed and the company's paying you from the minute your flight date is confirmed (as what I got) then it's worth thinking over.
Thank you GlobeGypsie for your piece of information.
really it was nice from you to respond.
good luck :D
Hi guys.
Pendekar, thanks for confirming this for me. Hope you had a pleasant journey! Yes, of course I will keep in touch when I reach Doha.
light2009, my flight is meant to be scheduled for around the 10th of February. However, this was on my request, as I still had to give a 2 week notice at my current job. So in fact, had I not been working, I may have even been able to fly out earlier. If you speak to your employer, they may ask you, what is the best date for you to fly. But you should check with them as policy may differ from company to company.
All the best guys.
hey GlobalGypsie !
when are you supposed to move to Doha? this will help us to know the duration between getting your Visa and the day of the flight!
thank you for your understanding :D
GG for the issue : how it was stamped into you passport?
You're correct as I had it stamped on my passport this morning upon arrival. Please be in touch when you're in Doha.
Thank you so much GlobalGypsie !
really your information was a help for me and maybe for others. so good luck in Doha :D
best wishes !
Hi guys... Thanks to all of you who left positive messages for me. :) You really all helped me along in this process! For those of you who are still waiting, it would appear that visas are being processed at a faster rate now, than prior to the new year. The information which Yassor posted seems to confirm this.
As for the questions from Light2009:
how did you receive you Visa?
It can be accessed electronically by your company. They will then save it and send it to you via e-mail as an attachment. You will have to print it out and have it ready when you go to Doha.
how it was stamped into you passport?
Nothing has been stamped in my passport yet. I assume this will happen when I reach Doha, after I show them the printed visa.
how did you receive you air ticket?
My company is in the process of arranging my ticket which they will send to my e-mail as an e-ticket.
I hope this helps. If anyone has anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Best of luck to everyone.
yassos we hope that the news will be right. this will give a great relief for candidates who are waiting for their work Visas. we all pray for the best as shridhar says.
good luck for everybody.
My husband has been hired for Rasgas Last year and he went here with me for a Family visit visa he is only 23 then, We have forwarded all the necessary documents last Nov but until now we have not received his Visa yet, the PRO says it is still in progress. i hope he gets it soon as his current visa will expire on April first week. Wish you all good luck too.
angel_prince2008
Hello everybody!!!!!!!!!! Good noon!
How you'll have been doing since morning?
Seems like I was hurrying a bit. Like all of you me too from the same boat, but younger in the process than you'll along with another 3 guys.
We all pray for the best for each and everyone of you.
After going through the whole list of members above I hope luck and favour will surely be showered on all of us. After all, patience pays my dear friends. Let me hope for the best while wishing you'll the same.
Have a brilliant day.
Shridhar.
I've read today in the first local newspaper in Qatar that the labor ministry has approved 28348 requests to hire new expats, and i asked the recruitment agency specialist and she told me that is true and all their candidates have been approved to be hired and the most important thing takes time has been issued and we need no time to finalize the visa issue
i am waiting for 8 weeks
yassor
congratulations GlobalGypsie
we are glad to hear that you finnaly got your Visa. could you tell us plz:
how did you receive you Visa?
how it was stamped into you passport?
how did you receive you air ticket?
Thank you and good luck in Qatar :)
congrats GG, before you pack and move to qatar you need go out and have few drinks after all the stress waiting for the visa...cheers
Hi GG, i am so glad to hear this news.. Best of luck to everyone else
Hooray for you! I'm so glad to hear it - finally, whew!
Mandi
Hurray at last GG got what he deserved. Let me know of your arrival date & will try to meet up. CYA
Hi guys. Finally today, after 10 weeks and 5 days, I have received my work visa. I have to say thank you to everyone here who helped me with advice and accounts of their own experience. I hope to keep in touch with you all, and best of luck for those that are still waiting. Keep us all updated here. All the best.
Pendekar, the summit was for one day, and I don't see why it would delay visas for 1-2 weeks.
Guys, from my view it's gonna be another delay. Recently they have this GCC meeting on the Palestinian issue - guess it's gonna be another 1-2 weeks delay.
not much progress on my end, just the usual "In Progress"
Congratulations Biliran.
GG - stay calm, I'm sure yours is in the finalization process.
Congratulations Biliran. When did your company apply for your visa, and when did you get it approved? Would be good to know the duration. All the best in your move.
I am moving to Doha mid-February.
Another week without knowing if I will get my visa... did anyone else have more luck? :)
GlobalGypsie, PM me with the company. I may be able to help.
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"Every adult of sound mind, should be able to choose to do whatever they want, as long as they cause no harm to others".
Thanks for all of your input guys. I would love to think that this is the final stage of processing my visa, however, since I received this news, I have been doing a bit of research into what CID clearance actually is, and it seems rather complex. Apparently, they look through a database full of Qatari nationals to see whether there is anyone else, who is local who they believe has the right qualifications for the job in question. This makes me feel somewhat uneasy, as a 23 year old, I have a degree, but only a year and a half worth of experience. This may be detrimental to my application. I will just have to wait and see I suppose. Best of luck to the rest of you.
GlobalGypsie...this is good progress hopefully it's the final stage of your visa process
GG this sounds good. Waiting for the "chick to hatc" is a tedious job.
Guys it seemed that I'll be the first amongst us to arrive in Doha. Be there on 20th & will keep track of your progress from there.
Mamunchy...welcome to the ever growing bandwagon :) We all keep each other updated here, so please feel free to join us.
skhzkausar...thank you for sharing your experience with us. Very useful to know the duration of every step of the process.
My weekly update came through today, and I was told that my company is waiting for 'CID to approve my visa'. Does this mean that I am close to getting it finally? I have waited 10 weeks now. Any advice is welcome.
Thank you to everyone for the ongoing contribution. Let's keep it up :)
I was interviewed in Dubai on the 17-08-2008, An offer was sent to me and I was asked to accept the offer sign and send it back.This was somehere around September 14,2008.By this date I had also submitted my passport copy and certificates.
I was sent the visa on the 11-11-2008 which was almost 2 months after sighing the contract.I landed here on the 18-12-2008.
My medical was done on the 11-01-2009.
My advise to you is to be calm and keep bugging the company, That is the least you can do.Qatar visa is a tedious process but if an offer is acceptable its worth waiting.
So dont panic , I think its normal.
Regards,
Syed
hi everybody, best of luck to all of you. Me also waiting arround 4 weeks, after getting offer letter, send them passport copy. After that nothing happening, I talked with employer, they said under proceed, but they don't know when finished. Seems now a days they r not interest much to reponse me on online which make me really upset.any advice appreciated.Anyway I'm from Bangladesh. take care all of u.
sounds good guys....sam
Good idea. That way we can always look to each other for advice in the near future. I'll add everyone here.
Guys, shall we add each other profiles to our own contact lists?
i agree with your analyse, GlobalGypsie.
Pendkar, congratulations on getting your visa :) Best of luck for your preparations and travel to Qatar. Thank you for taking the time to let us know that you received your visa, always useful to know for the rest of us.
Sam, I believe that Pendekar is talking about a standard 6 weeks ago, so around the end of November. However, I would not use this as an accurate guide to when you or I may get our visas since I have been waiting 10 weeks. It differs from person to person, from nationality to nationality, and from company to company from what I have heard. What we can draw from the info that Pendekar has given us is that, visas are being processed currently and that that the end of the holidays (Eid, National Day and The New Year) may finally see these being processed at a much faster rate now!
Best of luck to everyone else, I will keep you all notified when I receive any news.
6 weeks including the holidays or what was the date company submitted your application? thanks and good luck!!
yasoo it takes 6 weeks. Next will have to wait for the RP and don't know how long it takes. QATAR here I come. Guys join the bandwagon & hope to hear your good news soon. Keep everyone updated
Hi Pendikar
how long did it take to get your approved visa
yassor
congratulation dear pendekar! I hope that we will hear about our visas very soon...
Guys, after the long awaited news, today I have my visa approved & will be there soon.
Hi guys. Thank you all for your updates, I appreciate them all. I think it is safe to say that the Ministry of the Interior must be facing a backlog of applications or something along those lines since we are all still waiting. Of course, if anyone gets any news, please let us know. It is very helpful having everyone share their experience here. Conclusively, I don't think anyone should be getting worried, frustrated sure :) but this delay seems to be affecting everyone so don't correlate it with a lower chance of getting your visa. Of course I will keep you all updated as soon as I hear from HR again, and kindly ask if you could do the same. Have a good day.
Hey Guys,
Talked to my manager and the HR director yesterday, and they've asked me to "Hang in There" sooooo, hang in there guys! will keep you posted with any updates
Sam
Good luck, guys and please let us know as soon as you hear!
Mandi
i've submitted mu documents in the first week of Nov. and the HR says the common word :"your visa is in process don't worry" and when i asked Qlers they told me hi welcome to Qatar
yassor
Communicated with HR yesterday and no reply too.
no, i still waitting too
I thought I would give you guys an update in case any of you are interested. Nothing special unfortunately. I contacted the HR department today and they said the same thing, "visa still being processed". Anyone else having more luck? All the best.
Thanks for the update Sam. I have heard some similar reasons to the ones which your HR director told you(Ramadan backlog, EID etc.) I hope that this is the case and that we will all receive our visas in January. I will keep you all updated, and please do the same if you can. Happy New Year!
I've posted my question yesterday...
My company applied for my Visa on Nov. 2nd as an America, and every week I contact them they are still telling me the same story "Visa In Progress". I had the HR Director contact me yesterday and explained that most of the hires they the company had at the End Of October their visas are all being delayed due to the EID Holiday, and 5 Days Ban on Visas due some sort of UN Convention in Nov. and national Day. They think the first week of January is more practical since not many gov. paperwork get done during the End of the year
Good thing I didn't give my notice in the US, the frustrating part is rescheduling the relocation company!
Keep me posted guys if any of you get his Visa
Good Luck
Sam
Thank you for all of the responses. Obviously I will keep you all updated on the processing of my visa, and I kindly ask if you could do the same. I hope we all get good news in the new year. Best of luck Saberr and Pendekar. Anyone else who wants to jump on the boat is more than welcome :)
That makes the 3 of us. Any more?
I am in same boat too. I am waiting since november.
Thanks for the response. I will let you know if I hear anything. Always good to know that there are others in the same boat as I am, although obviously, my sympathies go out to you for having to go through the agonizing wait too. If you don't mind me asking, when was your visa applied for? The wait is killing me! As a 23 year old, this decision could really make or break the early years of my professional life.
Global, I am in the same boat too. I'll be following your progress to monitor mine.
It has now been almost 8 weeks. Every time I enquire with the HR department they keep telling me that the visa is `still under process.` Obviously the longer I wait the more worried I am getting about the possibility of being rejected, although I see no reason why this would happen. Does anyone have any advice on what I should expect at this point and if there is anything else I should be doing to help the process. All help appreciated.
I had no idea that I could check the status of the application myself. I'm hoping it will be easy to obtain the application number from the admin department. Thank you for this information, it should be very handy indeed.
Yes, certainly you would want to give your company a call, say, two weeks after the Eid holiday is over. Just to give them a little nudge and get them to send someone down to the Ministry to pick the dang thing up (which probabaly is sitting on someone's desk.) You actually can check the status of your visa for yourself on line if the company will give you the application number.
Mandi
Thank you for your quick response. I have spoken to the company most recently last week and they told me that the visa is still being processed and that this week is Eid holidays, which I assume was implying that I will not receive any info this week either. I suppose I should start to worry if it doesn't arrive by the beginning of January then?
Thanks once again.
hi there,
the duration can vary a lot. i have seen them done in 3 days, and i have seen them take 2 months, there is no set duration.
have you spoken to the company concerned to check progress?
nothing to worry about after 5 weeks.