KEO is trying not to issue NOC's to their staff and its now illegal. In 2007/08 the Ministry of Labor won a court case about withholding NOC's and KEO had their knuckles severely slapped. KEO were forced to issue NOC's to all the staff that had recently been laid off. This mainly applied to staff who had obligations and could not leave the State of Qatar until those obligations were discharged.

The bottom line go to the Ministry of Labor, lodge a complaint and leave it to the Government to fight the case for you. You should win and get a NOC.