The Ministry of Interior (MOI) through a webinar has urged employers to hand over the passports to employees after completing the procedures for getting or renewing residence permits.

The webinar, attended by over 280 people from different communities, 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.

"A fine up to QR 25,000 for employer’s failure to hand over the passport to the employee after completing the procedures for getting or renewing residence permit,” said the Ministry as reported by The Peninsula.

Captain Mohamed Ali Al Al Rashid from the Unified Services Department and Lt. Ahmed Abdullah Al Marri from the Search and Follow Up Department urged violators to benefit from the grace period and the 50 per cent reduction in the settlement amount. The grace period is until 31 December 2021.

According to The Peninsula, they also warned that “for illegal visa trading, the punishment is imprisonment of up to 3 years maximum and/or a fine up to QR 50,000 for the first time and QR 100,000 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 QR 10,000.” they added.

The MOI has so far received over 20,000 requests from workers after the grace period for correcting the status of expatriates was announced.

What can you do if your passport is taken away?

1- Complain to your embassy

2- Complain to the labour department. Here are 9 different ways to have your labour complaints and issues solved in Qatar.

Source: The Peninsula
Cover image: Shutterstock

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