MoL launches e-service to process work permits

The Ministry of Labour (MoL) has launched a new package of e-services related to the management of work permits, as part of its strategy to digitally transform services and provide them to the public without the use of paper in order to achieve excellence in performance, streamlining and expediting procedures.The new services cover six types of requests: for a work permit, for renewing a work permit, for cancelling a work permit, for issuing a labour recruitment approval, for renewing the validity of a labour recruitment approval, and for amending a labour recruitment approval.In a statement, the ministry explained that the new service of the Work Permits Department provides the opportunity for establishments to submit a work permit application that allows them to secure a vacancy in the labour market for different categories of individuals - those currently residing in Qatar under the sponsorship of their families; citizens of GCC countries; and permanent residence permit holders; or investors.The service enables establishments to submit a request to renew a work licence and a request to cancel a work licence online, without the need to visit the ministry's headquarters, external offices or government complexes.To renew a work permit, a residence permit that is valid not less than three months is required to avail of the service in addition to a certificate of academic qualification, the residence details of the employer, a certificate of good conduct and behaviour, a certificate of practising professions for the professions that one needs (such as engineering, medical, etc), and a letter of approval from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education if the work is related to schools and kindergartens.The service of approving the recruitment of workers provides an opportunity for establishments to submit a request for recruitment approval from the Ministry of Labour, and MoL employees will study the request and decide on it. Once approved in terms of gender, number and profession, the application is automatically transferred to the nationalities selection system. Following approval there, the application information is forwarded to the Ministry of Interior (MoI).It is also possible, as part of the new service, to submit a request to amend the approval of the recruitment of workers electronically, and then it is decided upon within the procedures followed. To benefit from the amendment service, it is required that the approval belongs to the establishment and the establishment’s registration is active and does not have violations of the provisions of the Labour Law. Besides, the approval has to be effective, and not all recruitment approvals should have been used. Also, the number provided in the original approval is not to be exceeded.The service also enables establishments to submit a request to renew the validity of approval to recruit workers electronically, and it ends with forwarding the request to renew the approval to the MoI through the integrated link, without the need to visit the ministry's headquarters, external offices or government complexes.In order to avail of the renewal service, it is required that the approval belongs to the establishment submitting the application, the establishment’s registration is effective, it has no violations of the provisions of the Labour Law, all previously approved recruitment approvals have not been used, and that the approval is effective and a week or less remains before the end of the visa.The Ministry of Labour has been working within an integrated strategy for the digital transformation of more than 80 services since the launch of the Digital Transformation Unit, based on the Agile methodology, which allows the ability to launch new services and updates.