The Visa Support Services Department at the General Directorate of Passports organized an introductory seminar at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce on launching the Qatar Visa Centers in India. The seminar was attended by Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Director of the Visa Support Services Department at the Ministry of Interior and Mr. Muhammed Ali Al Meer, Labour expert and Advisor at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.

The State of Qatar will open seven visa centers in India as part of its Qatar Visa Centers (QVCs) abroad program, which was launched last year and targets eight labor-exporting countries. During the seminar for companies' officials about QVCs, Director of the Visa Support Services Department at the Ministry of Interior Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi said that the QVCs will be opened in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, and Kolkata. He pointed out that India is the fourth country, where QVCs have been established following the opening of centers in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, which proved to be a great success in providing services more distinct, simplified and advanced. "The QVCs will ease inconveniences faced by expatriates from India, simplify the proceedings and ensure the protection of their rights," Al Mohannadi said.

Al Mohannadi added that QVCs will cover eight countries through the establishment of 20 service centers, in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. He stressed that all the steps to apply for recruitment through the QVCs are available on the Ministry of Interior website and Metrash 2 service. The recruitment procedures are the same as the previous procedures, but have been transferred from the State of Qatar to the expatriate countries to facilitate the procedures, he explained.

He explained that all recruitment fees are paid by the employer in the State of Qatar to allow the expatriate to complete his recruitment procedures inside the QVCs abroad. Al Mohannadi pointed out that the project is implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "An integrated recruitment system with QVC will help both employers and employees complete proceedings easily," Al Mohannadi stated.

Al Mohannadi explained that the recruitment procedures available at QVCs are to capture fingerprints for expatriates, register vital data, conduct medical examinations, and sign the employment contract through a more transparent and responsible recruitment system. Mohamed Al Meer, labor consultant at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, stressed that the establishment of QVCs in India comes to facilitate the completion of procedures for bringing in expatriates in their country of origin. He emphasized that these centers operate with a precise electronic system to complete all recruitment procedures with ease, pointing out the importance of these centers in guaranteeing the rights of both expatriates and applicants.