Friday, March 29

Qatar Approves Draft Law on Permanent Residency of Foreigners

Arab Country, Qatar has moved a step ahead in granting permanent residency to foreigners after a senior legislative body approved the draft law, a move announced amidst ongoing Gulf crisis.

According to the state media, Shura council has given its nod to the draft law that would grant residency to expatriates providing valuable service as well as to the children of Qatari women married to non-Qataris.

Announced first after four Arab countries imposed sanctions on Qatar over support of terrorism, the draft law finally has been approved that will allow permanent residents to acquire free state education, healthcare and right to own property. This would notably be the first such law proposed by one of the energy-rich Gulf states.

At present, current work realted laws in Qatar are such that permanent residents need to seek permission from authorities to change jobs or leave the country.

Qatar is heavily dependent on foreign labour and its current 2.71 million population constitutes about 90 percent non-nationals and 315,000 Qatari nationals.

Given the initial approval on the draft proposal, it will now be considered by Qatar Cabinet and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani before it becomes a law.