New law to ensure 50% salaries of expatriates are deposited into parents’ accounts

Qatar, which has always prided itself for its public welfare measures and out-of-the-box thinking, is ready to take another step towards strengthening family ties.

Qatar has millions of expatriates living and working on its shores. While many of them send a portion of their earnings back home for family upkeep, there has been a recent spike in the number of people who don’t do so despite making neat salary packages.

In order to curb this practice, a unique, far-reaching programme called ‘Wages in Staff’s Homes’ (WISH) has been launched.

According to this initiative, 50% of an expatriate’s total salary will automatically be credited to an account maintained by their parents, at their place of residence.

The scheme, which is expected to be implemented within the next three months, will start with expatriates working in the oil and gas, healthcare, education and sports sector industries. Qataris have been exempted from this scheme.

“Starting this week, companies in the four sectors (both private and public) will begin asking their staff to furnish bank details of their parents. If staff members are found guilty of furnishing false information, they will face strict legal action.

“If a staff member’s father or mother does not wish to avail of the scheme’s benefits, they should give it in writing and get it attested by a doctor, to ensure they did not do so under duress,” said a ministry official, who has been working on the WISH programme for several months now.

“All parents go through hardships to provide their children with education and gift them a better future. But once they grow older, all they get in return is even more hardships. With the WISH initiative, we want to ensure they will not suffer silently anymore,” he added.

If you are a loving son or daughter, don’t wait for the WISH programme to be implemented in order to show appreciation towards your parents. Call them up and wish them a happy first day of April.