Expatriate communities in Qatar have welcomed a proposal to allow the sons of residents in Qatar to work in the private sector without changing their family sponsorship.
The move was announced recently by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.
Hailing the proposal, the expatriates said such a reform would benefit families as well as businesspeople and investors in Qatar.
This and two other proposals - granting of temporary work visas in some professions for up to six months and reducing the fees for the MoI’s online services by 20% - will be implemented soon, according to officials.
“The proposal to allow the sons of expatriates to work in the private sector without changing their family sponsorship has brought much-awaited cheers to all,” P N Baburajan, president of the Indian Community Benevolent Forum, told Gulf Times.
Adeel Akbar, general secretary of Pakistan Art Society-Qatar, described the reform as a landmark development.
“This is, indeed, great news as both sons and daughters (of residents) can now work in the private sector without changing their family sponsorship. I appreciate the Qatar government for coming up with this excellent initiative and it will certainly benefit Qatar, a nation we all love,” he said.
Riyaz Ahmed Bakali, a representative of the Pakistani community in Qatar, said the proposal would help the country get trained and talented workforce.
“As the sons of expatriates are born and brought up in Qatar, they are loyal to the country,” he said, adding that the proposal will "provide comfort to parents".
Further, he noted, it will help meet various requirements while the sons work or study as they are allowed to live with their parents.
Mohamed Rafiuddin from the Bangladeshi community called the proposal a wise decision and said it would help Qatar benefit from adequate human resources with reasonable wages.
Ressie Fos, president of Bayanihan ng Manggagawa sa Konstruksyon ng Qatar, a Filipino community organisation, said the proposal has come as a blessing for expatriate families. “The sons of expatriates will be free to search for jobs and work with companies. They can pursue their higher studies without any kind of technical impediments,” he said.
Sanath Kohowilage, president of the Sri Lanka Co-ordinating Committee Qatar said the proposal reflected Qatar’s keenness towards considering its expatriate communities.
“The new proposal will give parents relief and help children take charge by easily getting jobs,” he said.
Baburajan, meanwhile, also praised the proposals regarding temporary work visa for professionals and the reduction in the MoI's online service fees, urging the authorities to spread awareness among all communities about the reforms.
“All concerned should benefit from the new reforms. This could be done by raising awareness,” he said, adding that community organisations are ready to join hands with the authorities for this purpose.
Related Story