In a first for the Arab nation of Qatar, it has opened a has opened a visa centre at Delhi. With all major facilities under one roof, the Qatari administration has intended to simplify visa-related procedures for the Indian outbound. The outbound profile is overwhelmingly dominated by blue-collar workers who have, in recent years, emerged as a major workforce in the Arab nation’s expansion spree, eyeing the historic 2022 FIFA World Cup. Bilateral ties have grown too, evident with the Qatar government’s decision of having visa centres operational in six other cities in coming months. As visa centers in Mumbai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai and Kolkata operationalize shortly, it is expected that Qatar will witness a significant jump in outbound numbers from Indian shores.
The centre was inaugurated by Excellency Mohammed Khater Al Khater, Ambassador of the State of Qatar and was also attended by Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Director of Department of Visa Support Services, Ministry of Interior.
The new centre would enable work visa applicants for the State of Qatar to sign on work contracts digitally, enroll their biometrics and undergo mandatory medical test all under one-roof, thus saving time and making it hassle free for the applicants. The move to get work visa applicants to complete the most essential and critical part of their visa processes in the country of origin (India in this case) is aimed at guaranteeing prospective employees their rights in a manner consistent with the best international standards.
The visa center is in sync with international standards guaranteeing greater transparency, traceability and improved anti-fraud measures and security screening mechanisms for the visa applicants.
The center will operate between 08:30 am to 04:30 pm from Monday to Friday.
On this occasion, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar in India, Excellency Mohammed Khater Al Khater, stressed that the Indian community in the State of Qatar had contributed significantly in the development process. He expressed keenness to protect the rights of the expatriates and facilitate their work procedures while recognizing the contribution of the Indian community. He added that to provide better facilities to the Indian community and further strengthening ties between the “two friendly countries,” it had been decided to choose India as one of the most important countries to open the “Qatar Visas Center”, in seven different cities of India including New Delhi.
He said that Indians travelling to Qatar for work and tourism would benefit with this development and added that the opening of Qatar visa centers in India came with celebration of the year 2019 as Qatar-India year of Culture.
