Permanent residency law one step closer to reality after go-ahead from Shura Council

It was almost 10 months ago that Qatar first announced it was thinking about giving permanent residency to certain qualified expatriates living in the country.

The move, which was widely hailed by expatriates in the country, was soon put forth to the country’s Shura Council and they had started discussions on it several months back.

Now, after much discussions and deliberations, the Advisory Council on Monday gave its approval to the draft law on permanent residency for non-Qataris and has decided to submit its recommendations on the matter to the Cabinet, according to Gulf Times.

Under the provisions of the draft legislation, HE the Minister of Interior may grant a permanent residency identification (ID) card to a non-Qatari if the person meets the conditions specified in the law, said the newspaper.

Also, a decision by the Minister of Interior may grant this ID to the children of a Qatari woman married to a non-Qatari, as well as those who offered valuable services to the country and people with special capabilities that the country needs, reported Qatar Tribune.

The Advisory Council took the decision at its regular weekly session, held under the chairmanship of its Speaker HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud. 

The council discussed the report of the Internal and External Affairs Committee on the draft law, which stipulates the establishment of a committee at the Ministry of Interior to consider requests for granting permanent residency ID to non-Qataris in accordance with provisions of the said legislation.

The Advisory Council approved the draft law after discussing the report of the committee and decided to submit its recommendations thereon to the Cabinet.