Captain Mohamed Ali Al Al Rashid (L), and Lt. Ahmed Abdullah Al Marri
The Ministry of Interior has urged employers to hand over the passports to employees after completing the procedures for getting or renewing residence permit.
The Ministry said that “a fine up to QR25,000 for employer’s failure to hand over the passport to the employee after completing the procedures for getting or renewing residence permit.”
This information was shared yesterday by the Ministry in a webinar attended by more than 280 people from different communities. The webinar was about the ‘grace period for those who are violating the provisions of Law No. 21/2015 that regulates the entry, exit and residence of expatriates’. The grace period is valid until December 31, 2021.
Speaking at the event, Captain Mohamed Ali Al Rashid from the Unified Services Department and Lieutenant Ahmed Abdullah Al Marri from the Search and Follow Up Department urged violators to benefit from the grace period and the 50 percent reduction in the settlement amount.
They also warned that “for illegal visa trading, the punishment is an imprisonment up to three years maximum and/or a fine up to QR50,000 for the first time and QR100,000 in case of repetition.”
Also “failure of the employer to proceed residence permit and renewal procedures within the specified period not exceeding 90 days from the expiry date, the punishment is up to QR10,000,” they added.
The Ministry of Interior has so far received more than 20,000 requests from workers after the grace period for correcting the status of expatriates was announced.
Among the residence permit holders, the target groups are those who have violated Law No. (21) of 2015 that regulates the entry, exit and residence of expatriates and have passed 90 days from the expiry date of the residence permit or those against whom a ‘leaving work’ complaint has been filed and they wish to move to another employer.
The target groups from the Work Visa holders are those who have violated the Law No. (21) of 2015 that regulates the entry, exit and residence of expatriates, who have exceeded 90 days from entering the country without issuing a residence permit or against whom a ‘Leaving Work’ complaint has been filed and wish to stay in the country after correcting their status, provided that the approval should be obtained from the Labour Department for the same nationality on the new recruiter.
No application will be accepted from the violator or the person against whom a ‘Leaving Work’ complaint has been filed after announcing the grace period starting from 10/10/2021.
The Unified Services Department, through the service centres, continues to receive requests for expatriate workers working in companies in violation of the provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015. The procedures are easy, and there is complete coordination with the Ministry of Labour and flexibility by the Ministry of Interior. The grace period for legalizing the status of violators of the Residence Law allows to issue and renew the Residence Permit by the same employer or transfer it from one employer to another before December 31.
Services centres that accept reconciliation applications are Al Shamal, Al Khor, Al Daayen, Umm Salal, The Pearl-Qatar, Onaiza, Souq Waqif, Al Rayyan,Umm Seneem, Shahaniya, Mesaimeer, Al Wakra and Dukhan.
As for the services centers that accept legalizing applications from violating expatriates are Umm Salal, Al Rayyan, Mesaimeer, Al Wakra, Umm Seneem. For the visiting time it from 1pm to 6pm.
The webinar was organized by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry in cooperation with the Search and Follow Up Department and the Unified Services Department.
During the webinar, the Ministry presented a video showing a temporary detention’s center, detainees’ treatment, and facilities available in these places, such as restaurants, playgrounds, and others.
