Doha: The Visa Support Services Department at the General Directorate of Passports yesterday organised a seminar for semi-governmental companies to introduce their work visa procedures through Qatar Visa Centers abroad.

During the seminar, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Director of Visa Support Services Department, provided an explanation to the representatives of the semi-governmental companies about the Qatar Visa Center abroad and the procedures related to recruitment.

He also said that the QVCs abroad, come within the framework of the keenness of Qatar to protect the rights of expatriates and facilitate their work procedures in a simplified and effective manner.

“The Center project abroad provides services including fingerprinting for the expatriate worker, registration of vital data, medical examinations and signing of the employment contract, he mentioned.

Al Mohannadi said through the Centers, both the employer and the expatriate will be able to play their role accurately through an integrated recruitment system after registering with the Ministry of Interior and obtaining the reference number for the expatriate to complete its procedures through the Center.

The first phase of the project is focusing on expats from eight countries that will host 20 centers. Those countries are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Philippines. Al Mohannadi said that private and semi-governmental companies ought to bring expats to Qatar through those visa centres.

The services available at those centres are taking fingerprints, recording vital statistics, performing medical examinations, and signing employment contracts. He said that all the steps required to submit applications through the Qatar Visa Center abroad are available on the website of the Ministry of Interior and its Metrash 2 service.