Qatar has always been at the forefront and committed to protecting rights of expatriate workers. In a move to ease procedures for employers and to provide more protection to expatriates coming to work in the State, Qatar plans to open seven visa centers in India as part of its ‘Qatar Visa Centers (QVCs) Abroad Programme’, which was launched last year targeting eight labour-exporting countries.
Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Director of the Visa Support Services Department at the Ministry of Interior, said visa centers will be opened in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, and Kolkata. “The QVCs will ease inconveniences faced by expatriates from India, simplify the proceedings and ensure the protection of their rights,” he said.
Qatar has decided to establish visa centres in 8 countries through the establishment of 20 service centres. India is the fourth country, where the centers will be established following the opening of visa centres in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, which proved to be a great success in providing services which are simplified and advanced.
The project is implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior; the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs; the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
All medical examinations and signing of employment contracts for expatriates will be completed in their countries before coming to Qatar. These centres will operate based on an integrated electronic system for the implementation of procedures such as medical examination, fingerprint and biometrics, and the signing of work contracts for expatriates outside the State, under the supervision of and follow-up by the authorities concerned within Qatar.
The Centres will enable both the employer and the expatriate worker to perform their role accurately through an integrated recruitment system after employer’s registration on the Ministry of Interior website and issuing the reference number for the expatriate to complete his procedures through the visa centre. Al Mohannadi explained that all recruitment fees are paid by the employer in the State of Qatar to allow the expatriates to complete their recruitment procedures inside the visa centers abroad.
Mohamed Al Meer, Labor Consultant at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, emphasised that these centres operate with a precise electronic system to complete all recruitment procedures with ease, pointing out the importance of these centres in guaranteeing the rights of both expatriates and applicants. This step clearly reflects Qatar’s keenness to ensure the protection and safety of expatriates.
By opening these visa centers, Qatar is ensuring best practices and customer satisfaction as these centers abroad will enable the completion of recruitment procedures through one channel within a shorter period.
