The Government of Qatar has extended the validity of the Multiple Entry Work Visa (MEWV) for nationals of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

This means that MEWV holders from the above countries can now stay in Qatar for up to 12 months to meet the maximum permitted duration of the employment contract as per the first period of stay under the employment quota, reports VisaGuide.World.

Prior to this announcement, Fragomen stated that the validity period of the MEWV would only be up to 180 days.

Additional requirements for applicants and sponsoring employers

Although they now benefit from an extended period of validity, MEWV applicants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka are subject to stricter application requirements.

Under the new rules, applicants will be required to submit medical examinations and biometric data to Qatar visa centers in their home country. Previously, such requirements did not apply to them.

In addition to applicants, Qatar has introduced an additional requirement for sponsoring employers.

More specifically, companies sponsoring MEWV applicants from the above countries must now submit an employment contract with salary information to the Qatar Visa Center.

However, Fragomen explains that companies in the free zone of Qatar’s financial center are exempt from this requirement.

Until now, there was no obligation for the sponsoring employer to submit the employment contracts of its applicants as part of the MEWV application process.

Although the above requirements may pose an administrative challenge for applicants and companies, the extended validity period is expected to attract workers from the countries concerned.

New services for visa centers in Qatar

As previously reported by the Gulf Times, Qatar launched new services at its visa centers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka in July 2024.

According to the Director of the Visa Support Services Department, Nasser Ali al-Khalaf, the range of services offered by these centres now includes medical services for temporary work visas, medical tests for multiple work visas and vision tests for driving license applicants.

QVC’s procedures allow job seekers to complete the most important part of the visa process while they are still in their country. This also reduces the hassle and time for them and makes it easier to obtain a residence permit when they enter the country.

Qatar plans to open additional visa centers in these countries

In addition to expanding its range of services, Qatar also plans to open more visa centers in other countries.

It has been announced that the Qatari authorities are planning to set up new visa centers in Kenya, Indonesia and Tunisia.