QU HR Guide for New Employees International

Transcription

1 QU HR Guide for New Employees Hired Internationally These instructions are for new expatriate employees hired internationally. 1.0 Getting an Entry Visa to Qatar Prior to Arrival Entry Visa An Entry Visa (also known as official work visa or residence visa) is required for people who are coming to work in Qatar or for those coming to live as dependents of an employee. Qatar University will process your Entry Visa and the information to you prior to your arrival into the country. Requirements: Please submit the following documents to the Recruiting Section as soon as you accept the offer. Copy of candidates passport Copy of highest educational certificate / degree (University transcripts are accepted). Copy of the passport of your spouse and dependent children (if applicable). A copy of your marriage certificate (if applicable). Copy of the birth certificate of your children (if applicable). Police Clearance Certificate of the candidate from his/her home country duly attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his/her country and from the Qatari Diplomatic Mission in his/her country. (For further details on this item please refer to the section on page 2 entitled Getting a Police Clearance/Good Conduct Certificate. Important Notes The process takes approximately 4-6 weeks Copy of the Entry Visa must be shown at Doha Airport upon arrival New international recruits who are requesting work permit status must provide a police clearance from the country for which he/she is a citizen. (Refer to section on page 2 entitled Getting a Police Clearance / Good Conduct Certificate on arrival The Police clearance is required for the new recruits to get 3 years work permit from the beginning instead of one year Those with a valid residence permit issued from another GCC country are advised to have their residence permit cancelled prior to their arrival in Qatar. 1

2 2.0 Important Notes 2.1 What you should do after you receive and accept the Job Offer Letter from Qatar University: As soon as you accept Qatar University s job offer, please provide the Recruitment Section of the University with required documents (see page 1-1.0). 2.2 What happens after you submit the above documents? Qatar University s Recruitment Section will coordinate your entry visa application through the University s Immigration Office. Qatar University s Immigration Office will submit and follow up your application with the Labor and Immigration Department. Qatar University s Recruitment Section will the visa to you once it is issued. Print the ed visa and present it to the authorities at the airport who will have your details in their computer system. Getting a Police Clearance/Good Conduct Certificate: Getting a Police Clearance or a Good Conduct Certificate is the responsibility of all new hires. Each country s process for getting a Police Clearance is different. Therefore, only basic information as to how it can be processed will be offered from the Recruitment Office. Each new hire must complete the process on his or her own. Please note that this is a State requirement; therefore, the University is not responsible for any short notice changes made by the Immigration Department. Typically, a new recruit should provide the Police Clearance or the Good Conduct Certificate from the same country that he/she is holding a passport from or intends to use to enter Qatar. For example, if a new recruit is planning to enter Qatar on a US passport, he/she will have to provide the University with a Police Clearance from the US, even if he/she is residing outside the US. The clearance must be notarized by the issuing agency. To do this, the employee should get the clearance authenticated/attested from his/her home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have it attested by a Qatari Diplomatic Mission in their home country. Once the signatures are secured by the employee he will have to further present the documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar for further Attestation. Please note that the process involved in getting this document is often complicated and cumbersome. Therefore, you are requested to start the process as soon as possible prior to your arrival in Doha. Please note that finger printing is a commonly requested procedure by your country s authorities in order to issue a Police Clearance/Good Conduct Certificate. A separate set of finger prints will be taken in Doha to process your residence permit. Since governments require finger prints in order to process Police Clearances, you need to be able to get finger printed at a local police station in your country prior to your arrival in Doha. In the past, travelers used to be able to benefit from this service provided by the State of Qatar. However, the State is no longer finger printing travelers for the purpose of issuing a Police Clearance by another government. Please contact your Embassy to check if they provide this service for purposes of issuing a Police Clearance. Only US nationals are allowed to be finger printed in Doha for purposes of issuing a Police Clearance. To do so, you must first visit the US Embassy in Doha during their consular hours and 2

3 obtain a letter from them requesting CEID for finger printing. You must present the US Embassy with your passport for them to issue you with a letter. You can then print out the finger print form from the Embassy s website and take it along with the letter to CEID. American Citizens must present the CEID with the following documents: Letter from the US Embassy to the CEID Form from CEID (to be typed in Arabic by the QU Immigration Office) Downloaded FBI form from the FBI website or US Embassy s website 2 Passport-sized pictures Copy of your passport Copy of your entry visa to Qatar Copy of your degree The University has made arrangements with the Qatari authorities to provide all faculty members with an exemption for one year if they do not have their Police Clearance ready. If you do not have your Police Clearance ready by the time you apply for a Residence Permit, you will be issued a Residence Permit valid for one year. Once you secure the Police Clearance, you can get your Residence Permit extended to three years. Therefore, for QU faculty members, having a Police Clearance on hand is not an entry criterion to Qatar. Please note that this exemption should not deter you from starting your Police Clearance application as soon as possible prior to your arrival in Qatar. Also note that the Police Clearance is for the employee only. Family members do not need a Police Clearance. It is essential to have the Police Clearance attested by your home country s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attested by a Qatari Diplomatic Mission in your country. If you are in Qatar by the time you receive your Police Clearance, you may be able to further attest the document at your Embassy (if a diplomatic mission is available in Doha) and the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3

4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q1. What does the Work permit or Residence Permit process consists of? The Work permit or Residence Permit process consists of: a physical examination conducted by the Medical Commission of Qatar; a finger print process conducted by the Criminal Evidence & Information Department (CEID) of the State of Qatar. The Work permit or Residence Permit process is a requirement for all expatriates if they are applying to work or reside in Qatar. All expatriates must undergo the process if they are applying for any type of permit. Q2. Who looks after the Work permit or Residence Permit process? QU s Recruitment Section will provide you with a letter to take to the Medical Commission. For international contracts, QU s External Relations Section will initiate the process. Q3. When will I sign my contract? You get to sign your contract when you are issued a Work Permit. Q4. Where will I have my monthly pay deposited? You must open a local bank account. Qatar National Bank and Masraf Al-Rayyan have branches on campus. You must provide the Recruiting Section with your bank details after you open an account. This document is in the form of a salary transfer certificate provided by the bank. Please ensure that this document is handed to the Recruitment Section. You will be put on the university s payroll after you complete your resident permit procedures. However, on the first day of your employment, you may request an advance of your first month s pay. This amount is repaid to the University in equal amounts over a period of 3 months. Q5. Where will I live in Doha? How far is the compound from the University? Do I have a choice between an apartment and a villa? The University has several compounds that faculty members are accommodated in. Depending on your family size and availability, the Housing Committee decides where you will live. Some compounds are located close to campus and others are a good half hour s drive away from the University. All accommodation consists of at least 3 bedrooms. Certain positions/job grade levels are entitled to a housing allowance in lieu of furnished accommodation. Individuals, however, must comply with University requirements in order to receive this benefit. Q6. Is the accommodation furnished and what is supplied? The accommodation has basic furniture such as: beds, closets, dining table, a sofa and chairs. A TV and satellite connection is also available. The kitchen is supplied with a fridge, an oven and a washing machine. Some units are supplied with dishwashers. Please refer to the attached Accommodation and Furniture form for details. The units are not supplied with linen, bed covers, towels, shower curtains, shower rods. The kitchen is not supplied with a microwave, pots, pans, plates and utensils. You may bring the above items with you or purchase them from the local market in Doha. 4

5 Q7. Who pays the utility bills? Employees pay for their own utility bills. However, when you first occupy your unit, you will be required to pay a deposit of QR 2000 to the Water & Electricity Board. This is also referred to as a connection fee. The QR 2000 will be refunded to you prior to your final departure from the country. Q8. How do I get a landline telephone and high speed Internet connections? After you receive your work permit or residence permit, you can apply for a landline through the local telecommunication provider. Q9. How do I get a mobile sim card? You may subscribe to the pre-paid service provided by Q-Tel or Vodafone and get a mobile number. You may continue to purchase a pre-paid phone card to make your calls. Q10. Where do I rent a car from? Most new comers opt to rent a car until they are ready to purchase one. It costs approximately QR 2000 per month to rent a car. If your driver s license is issued in the West, you may use your country s driver s license for 7 days after which you need to apply for a temporary driver s license. When your Residence Permit is issued, you can apply for a permanent Qatari Driver s License. Some country s licenses are transferable to a Qatari Driver s license without taking a driving test. You may also bring an international driver s license if you are planning to rent a car. However, not all rental companies will accept an international driver s license. 5