EMPLOYMENT ENTRY VISAS: Candidates traveling to Qatar for an employment contract most commonly enter Qatar on either a Permanent

Entry Visa or a Temporary Work Entry Visa. As soon as a candidate has accepted an employment offer, their sponsor (i.e., future employer in Qatar) will apply for their work entry visa from the Ministry of the Interior of Qatar. The type of visa applied for will vary from sponsor to sponsor*. A. Permanent Entry Visa The documents required for the Permanent Entry visa are: i. clear passport copy in color: The passport must be valid for at least eight months following the candidates intended date of departure; copies of all educational documents: Depending on the candidates sponsor, a candidates highest education document may need to be authenticated through the Qatar Embassy in Canada or the United States. The candidate will need to send their original highest education document, or a notarized copy of the original, to their recruitment company, to begin the authentication process. The authentication process (if necessary) is handled by the recruitment company. The candidate should forward the above documents to their recruitment company immediately after they have accepted an employment offer. This is to ensure that their sponsor in Qatar can apply for their entry visa as soon as possible.

ii.

Processing time for the Permanent Entry Visa is between 4 to 8 weeks. B. Temporary Work Entry Visa With this visa, once a candidate has accepted an employment offer, their nationality and position must be approved by the Qatar Immigration Department. This process usually takes 7 to 10 days. Once the approval has been issued, the candidates sponsor in Qatar will apply for their Temporary Work Entry Visa, a process which takes approximately 10 days to 2 weeks to complete. The documents required and the process for the Temporary Work Entry Visa are the same as those for the Permanent Entry Visa (above). C. Accessing approved entry visas online Once approved, entry visas are generally accessible online through the Qatari Ministry of Interior website. To access an approved entry visa online, a password (provided by the sponsor) and the candidates country of citizenship are required.

To work in Qatar, it is compulsory to be in possession of a valid residence permit and a work visa. Administrative procedures to get legal authorizations to live and work in Qatar are often complex: first, you must find a "sponsor", ie a local employer wishing to hire you. The sponsor initiates the work visa application by requesting to the Ministry of Interior of Qatar all legal authorizations to hire a foreign worker. The sponsor has a particular role to play since he must vouch for you whether when you open a bank account or when you sign a rental lease in the country. Once the procedure is getting under way, foreign workers must then travel to Qatar with a single entry visa, valid for at least three months so as to carry out all compulsory administrative procedures and apply for a residence visa once there. Contact the diplomatic representation of Qatar in your area for more information about entry visa applications Once in Qatar, you must get a residence permit and a work visa. Local companies generally undertake visas and permits procedures for their expatriate employees. However, blood tests and x-rays are compulsory. HIV testings are also performed; in case of infection, you must leave the country. Fingerprinting is also performed. Once the residence permit and work visa in your possession, you will be allowed to work in Qatar. Note that you must work for your sponsor only; if you want to take another job, a minimum period of two years in employment with your original sponsor is compulsory. After two years, and if you want to take another job with another sponsor, your employer must give you a certificate: this is called the NOC ("No Objection Certificate"). Sponsorship can not be transferred to another employer if you don't receive your NOC from your initial sponsor. Holders of work visas can bring their families with them. They must sponsor residence permits for their spouses and children under 25 years old. Women can now sponsor residence permits for their husbands. The residence permit do not allow employement in Qatar. If dependants wish to work in Qatar, they must in turn find a sponsor and undertake the administrative procedures for obtaining a work permit. If a foreign worker must temporarily leave Qatar, an exit visa is compulsory. The exit visa do not apply for dependants. Useful links: Qatar Ministry of Interior http://www.moi.gov.qa/