An announcement made by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) revealed that the procedures for recruiting workers from abroad have changed under Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.
But no change in the rules for obtaining family visas and residency permits for spouses and children have been announced.
The law stipulates the conditions for private sector employees seeking a family visa must have a monthly salary of QR 7,000 to QR 10,000.
As suggested by Brigadier Nasser Jabr Al Atiyyah, assistant director of the General Directorate of Passports, employers need to get approval for work visas from the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA), before applying at the Ministry of Interior.
The previous law stipulated that the employers could be granted 100 visas to bring workers as they bring copies of their passports to the Directorate of Passport and Expatriate Affairs at the Ministry of Interior to get entry visas and process their residency permits, as The Peninsula reports.
A special committee has been set up which considers family visa applications and takes a decision within three working days.
Following this, the applicant will receive a text message on their mobile phone informing whether the application was approved or rejected.
For private sector employees seeking a family visa, the minimum monthly salary must be in the QR7000-QR10,000 range and should have a suitable profession.
Women who have a Qatari residency permit and are willing to bring their husbands must follow the same rules.
Visa for parents similar to family visa
The new law makes the conditions for residency visa for parents similar to family visas but the applicant must confirm that he/she is the sole breadwinner of the parents and his/her profession must suit the specific categories, as Al Atiyyah pointed out.
The official said that the aim is to make the procedures and conditions easier for expatriates to bring their families and if some conditions need to be changed or reviewed, MoI will do it in a way not contradicting the provisions of the law regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.
