Trying to arrange for that in advance would be great if one could rely upon that. However, in my experience, companies here often promise things they cannot or will not deliver. I suppose if you could get it IN WRITING, maybe that would hold up...but anything short of that and you'd be risking things.
Years ago I had to negotiate to get my letter of no objection by giving up all my accrued vacation pay and severance -- not a small sum, but in the end it was worth it to me to get this other job. But they had me over the coals; either I gave up the thousands that I had earned and was due, or they wouldn't give me the release. Take it or leave it.
If you ever get on some important person's bad side (and sometimes you aren't aware that you've irritated anybody -- but it's because you worked with their second cousin twice removed, and they once overheard an offhand remark you made at the water cooler...LOL! Seriously...), chances are you'll never get it -- hence the importance of getting things in writing, because you never know who will get their panties in a bunch about something you said or did before you leave.
Hope this helps. Qatar is a really lovely place; once you get here and get settled I think you'd enjoy it. But you have to take care because local laws aren't made to protect expat workers -- they're designed to guard national interests.
Trying to arrange for that in advance would be great if one could rely upon that. However, in my experience, companies here often promise things they cannot or will not deliver. I suppose if you could get it IN WRITING, maybe that would hold up...but anything short of that and you'd be risking things.
Years ago I had to negotiate to get my letter of no objection by giving up all my accrued vacation pay and severance -- not a small sum, but in the end it was worth it to me to get this other job. But they had me over the coals; either I gave up the thousands that I had earned and was due, or they wouldn't give me the release. Take it or leave it.
If you ever get on some important person's bad side (and sometimes you aren't aware that you've irritated anybody -- but it's because you worked with their second cousin twice removed, and they once overheard an offhand remark you made at the water cooler...LOL! Seriously...), chances are you'll never get it -- hence the importance of getting things in writing, because you never know who will get their panties in a bunch about something you said or did before you leave.
Hope this helps. Qatar is a really lovely place; once you get here and get settled I think you'd enjoy it. But you have to take care because local laws aren't made to protect expat workers -- they're designed to guard national interests.
Good luck!