COLOMBO: The first-ever Qatar Visa Centre was inaugurated in Colombo by Dr. Rashid bin Shafea Al-Marri, Qatar’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, as part of efforts to facilitate and speed up the recruitment procedures for Sri Lankan migrant workers.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Qatari Ministry of Interior’s Department of Visa Support Services Director Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Biomet Services Business Head Suhail Shaikh, Qatar Labour and Social Affairs Ministry Asst. Undersecretary Mohammad Hassan Al Obaidly, Qatar Consular Affairs Department Manager Muhammed Abdullah Al Subaei National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages State Minister A. H. M. Fowzie, MP Ravi Karunanayake, Labour and Trade Union Relations Minister Ravindra Samaraweera.
Work visa applicants to Qatar are now required to enroll their biometrics data, sign work contracts and undergo medical test at the Qatar Visa Center.
The move to get work visa applicants to complete the most essential part of their visa process in the country of origin is aimed at guaranteeing employees their rights in a manner consistent with the best international standards.
As part of the visa application process, work visa applicants will be required to get a visa reference number from the Ministry of Interior, book an appointment online, and visit the Qatar Visa Center fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled time.
At the reception, the identity of the visa applicant will be verified, the list of required documents checked, and a token issued. Once the token is called, visa applicants will be able to digitally sign their work contract, enroll biometric data and undergo the required medical tests. Upon completion of the process at the visa center, visa applicants will be able to track the status of their application online or through their employer in Qatar.
As opposed to the one-month process that existed prior to the opening of this centre, expatriates seeking employment in Qatar can now get their visa process handled within 48 hours.
Located conveniently on the Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte trunk route, at No. 435/3, Sentra Super City, Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte, the visa centre is equipped with state-of-the-art biometric enrollment & medical test facility.
The visa center is designed in line with international standards ensuring greater transparency, traceability and increased security for the visa applicants. The Centre is now open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. till 4:30 p.m., for those seeking employment in Qatar in the labour field. Within a month’s time the services will be extended to other expatriate workers and later to all visitors to Qatar from Sri Lanka. After medical examinations and signing contract of employment, other new services would be introduced shortly in these centres such as documentation of scientific and practical qualifications, wage protection system, etc.
The Center’s medical test service is provided by Stemz Healthcare, a visa-related medical services company. Some of the key medical tests to be conducted at the center include blood tests, x-ray, visual assessments, and physical examinations. The operations are backed by a team of highly qualified healthcare professionals with internal systems and processes based on the latest medical standards and best practices.
On this occasion, the Ambassador of Qatar to Sri Lanka, Dr. Rashid Bin Shafea Al Marri, said: “In the framework of the ongoing cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Sri Lanka, in order to achieve the common interest and strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries, I am pleased and honoured to attend the inauguration of the Qatar Visa Center in the Republic of Sri Lanka. This initiative, which is the first of its kind, aims at facilitating the work procedures for Sri Lankan expatriates migrating to the State of Qatar, and also to preserve and protect their rights through the application of best practices and international standards”.
“As part of Qatar’s keenness to facilitate the work process and protect the rights of expatriates, Qatar Visa Centers will be opened in a number of countries, starting with the Republic of Sri Lanka,” said Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Director of Visa Support Services Dept at the Ministry of the Interior, Doha, Qatar.
“Medical examinations, biometric data enrollment and the signing process of employment contracts for expatriates migrating to the State of Qatar will be done through the Qatar Visa Centers in the expatriate country of origin. This reflects the extent of Qatar’s endeavors to ensure the protection and safety of expatriates under simplified and effective recruitment process”, he added.
The Qatar Visa Center is operated by Biomet Visa Services Lanka (Private) ltd., a subsidiary of Biomet Services Pte. Headquartered in Singapore, Biomet Services is a visa processing and biometric enrollment solutions company providing administrative outsourcing services to client governments. Under the agreement with Qatar’s Ministry of Interior, the company is mandated to open Qatar Visa Centers additionally in Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan & Tunisia.
Suhail Shaikh – Business Head for Biomet Services said, “We are honored to launch the first Qatar Visa Center for the people of Sri Lanka on behalf of Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar. We take great pride in being able to provide transparent, standardized and streamlined visa services for the Sri Lankan work visa applicants through a simple process managed by our capable colleagues”.
Vishvajeet Kumar, Head of Operations Stemz Healthcare, said: “We would like to thank MOI & Medical Commission for giving us the opportunity to serve applicants traveling to Qatar for work. We aim to provide word class facilities with latest technology offering customer service level that matches international standard simultaneously ensuring stringent medical standards are being adhered to as required by Qatar Government”.
Qatar Visa Center maintains robust multi-lingual information services for the benefit of visa applicants across multiple touch points. Information on appointment scheduling, requirements and steps at the visa center can be found in English, Arabic, Sinhala and Tamil through a dedicated website (http://www.qatarvisacenter.com), call center helpline (+94 117942999), email (info.cmb@qatarvisacenter.com) and walk-in at the reception.
