The Visa Support Services Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has held a seminar for members of the Sri Lankan community to provide details of a new system to enable expatriate workers to complete work visa-related procedures in their home countries. The first Qatar Visa Service Centre will open in Sri Lanka on October 12. Under the new system, procedures such as fingerprinting and biometric data processing, medical examination and the signing of work contracts will be carried out abroad before the workers arrive in Qatar. Beginning with Sri Lanka, the initiative is being launched in eight countries in the first phase. The other countries are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tunisia, the Philippines and Indonesia. During the seminar, Major Abdullah Khalifa al-Mohannadi, director of the Visa Support Services Department, explained the features of the new workers’ recruitment system and the processes involved, the MoI tweeted yesterday. A presentation was made on the various stages of the recruitment process and its benefits for both employers and workers, helping save time and effort and protecting the rights of all concerned.