DOHA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Qatar has made the residency procedures easier for expatriate workers by allowing them to complete the procedures at their home countries, Qatar News Agency (QNA) report said Monday.
A new agreement had been signed between the Qatari Ministry of the Interior and a Singapore-based company, for completing all of the Qatari residence procedures of expatriate workers in their home countries.
The first phase of the project covers 8 countries, including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines and Tunisia, where workers constitute 80% of the total workforce in Qatar.
According to the deal, those expatriates will be allowed to complete their medical checkup, record bio-metric data and fingerprint and sign work contracts in their home countries before coming to Qatar.
The landmark move would decrease the cases of rejection of expat workers on account of their failing medical tests.
Earlier, Qatar who will host the 2020 FIFA world cup, approved a draft bill on October to set up a support fund for its two million-strong foreign workforce.
Last year, the Qatari government also introduced a new labor law aimed at making it easier for migrant workers to change jobs and leave the country.
Qatar has strongly denied of being put under any pressure to make its retraction to host the FIFA world cup, despite the blockading imposed on Doha. The Gulf country announced that they have been working hard to organize the best FIFA World Cup in 2022.
