This interesting but heartbreaking piece was written by
Yahaya Musa, a Nigerian professional resident in Qatar…read what he has to say
after the page jump…..
As a Nigerian Professional resident in Doha, State of Qatar,
I would like to draw the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria, The
Federal Ministry of External Affairs, and the National Assembly to the
activities of some unscrupulous agents in Nigeria, with collaboration of some
Nigerian elements in Doha offering Work Visa to unsuspecting
Nigerians to work and live in Qatar. This practice has been on for some time
but has recently reached a frightening dimension in the last few months.
There are now many Nigerians living roughly, some in
detention, many living in uncompleted buildings earmarked for demolition, as a
result of a scam going on in Nigeria about Qatar Work visas.
Qatar is a tiny emirate in the Middle East. It is a country
rich in oil and gas resources which have fueled the infrastructural and
economic development of this Arabian Peninsula nation over the past decades.
This economic boom has seen the migration of people from South East Asia,
Europe, America and Africa to this small Gulf State. The local Qatari
people are also friendly and receptive to foreigners of diverse languages,
cultural and religious background. In anticipation of the influx of economic
migrant to support the Nations growth, the government of the State of Qatar has
an effective immigration system that has been designed to ensure that only
legal immigrants are allowed to live and work in Qatar.
While Work Visa as it’s currently being secured for
Nigerians by Local Nigerian agents in Qatar and their collaborators in Nigeria
grants you the right to live in Qatar, there is no job attached to this Visa.
The impression given is that once you arrive in Qatar, Jobs are waiting for you
as there are opportunities everywhere. This is not the truth as there are many
Nigerians on the streets of Doha today seeking employment without headway for
months and in some cases over a year.
Some have returned home disappointed after borrowing money
and selling properties to secure Qatar Work visa with high expectations of
better life. They lived in harrowing conditions in slums and labour quarters
before finding their way back to their motherland. The Agents, who procured the
Visa disappeared and live these individuals to the mercy of friends and fellow
Nigerians to assist to the best of their abilities. The saddening thing is that
most of these unfortunate migrants left paid employment behind in Nigeria, to
seek “greener pastures” as painted by this Work Visa Agents.
I must state clearly that, there are indeed job
opportunities for qualified professionals in Qatar, and many Nigerians are
gainfully employed and practicing their professions in Qatar, it is important
to highlight the danger posed by the activities of these nefarious individuals
not only to law abiding Nigerians in Qatar, but also the image of the Nigeria
Nation. In addition, because of the bad publicity this has generated in
government circle, stricter restriction on the issuance of Visa for Nigerians
is in place. All hotels in Qatar no longer process Nigeria tourist
Visa as applicable to Nationals of other countries willing to come to Qatar on
holiday. Despite all these, there has been no official response to this malaise
by the relevant Nigerian Embassies in the Gulf.
The implication of this is that, Nigerians with genuine
business/holiday interest are refused entry visa. This was not the case five
years ago, as you could apply for Visa for anyone by approaching any
of the hotels in Doha.
This article is aimed at bringing to the notice of the
Nigerian Government, the dangers posed by unscrupulous “visa agents” as well as
the attendant suffering and hardship being faced by unemployed and starving
Nigerians roaming the streets of Doha, Qatar.
As has been published already in an article already
circulating the internet by some professionals in Qatar, please find below all
the information you need to know about Qatar visas. What You Must Know about
Qatar Work Visa.
• Any genuine employer of labour in Qatar will not ask
prospective employees to pay a Visa fee. The employer will also be responsible
for the flight ticket from Nigeria to Doha.
• The pretext of the people involved in the work visa racket
is that they are providing opportunity for people to travel. This cannot be
true as this is rather for their economic gains. The actual cost of work visa
in Qatar is about N30000 equivalent, however charges for this Visa in Nigeria
ranges between N500000 and N600000. This clearly shows that this is for
economic gains of individuals
• The Qatar Visa is issued in different categories depending
on the job being offered. The category of the job/title is written on the Visa
in Arabic language, thus many are not aware of the job category that
has been indicated on their Work Visa. The implication of this is that, an
experienced graduate can be given a visa indicating his level of job is a
Laborer without his knowledge as he cannot read nor understand Arabic. This
individual will come to Qatar looking for a professional job, not knowing that
by his Visa status, he cannot use his credentials to work. There have seen
cases of graduate that are denied employment to qualified positions, after long
term search for job because of the limitation posed by their visa category.
• As applicable in all countries of the world including
Nigeria, trainee positions are reserved for Nationals of the country. Just like
it will be difficult for any employer of labour in Nigeria to employ a
Non–Nigerian without any demonstrable experience, while young graduates in
Nigeria are looking for jobs, Qatari government also has the policy of
recruiting young Qataris to development position in both private and government
institution. Thus, as a prospective expatriate in Qatar, you need to be able to
demonstrate skill in a particular area that cannot be resourced internally. A
fresh Nigerian graduate that has no working experience, and is promised job in
Qatar should have this understanding. You need to have a number of years of
experience before you can be considered for position. It is better you develop
yourself to that level before you look out for international opportunities.
Then, employer will source for you and you do not need to pay for your visa and
flight tickets to Qatar
•
Within three months
of entering into Qatar on work visa, you will be required to complete the
process of your residence permit. This information is usually not mentioned by
these unscrupulous agents to their clients. Work Visa grants you access to
the country as a legal immigrant, but without the residence permit, you cannot
stay in Qatar. You will still need to pay for the processing of the residence
permit. Before the permit is issued, you need to undergo a medical test, anyone
that fail will be deported to his home country at his own cost immediately.
There have been cases of deportation based on this requirement.
• Another deception by these agents is that the Work Visa
issued is a freelance Visa and you do not have to work with the company that
issued the Visa. This is being economic with the truth. The fact is that, if
you are lucky enough to get a job before you complete your residence permit
process (Note the time limits in point 5 above and the restriction posed by
visa type in point 3), it may be easy to process your residence permit under
the new employer. However, if you are not able to get a job within three
months, and you have to do the residence permit under the company that
processed your visa to Qatar, then you cannot change job or sponsoring company
until after one year. The implication of this is that you will be in Qatar
without any paid employment for the next one year. That’s a whole year wasted
and many in that condition are very much dependent on relations from Nigeria to
send money for their upkeep or rely on the benevolence of other Nigerians in
Qatar.
With the issue of the hosting right of the 2022 FIFA World
Cup to Qatar, the activities of this Work Visa agents has stepped up with
promises of lofty jobs on arrival in Qatar. This is nothing but a fleece.
Nigerians should be guided by the information provided above in making any
decision about paying through their nose to procure this “freelance work visa”.
Beware!!
Yahaya Musa,
Doha, Qatar
Published on: PointBlankNews
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