Poised as one of Jusour’s ‘most important’ programmes, the five-year visa is designed to attract talent from across the world to bolster the already dynamic Qatari labour market.
Qatar is set to roll out a residency visa programme to attract the best of the world’s entrepreneurs and highly skilled professionals within a variety of fields.
Spearheaded by the Qatar Manpower Solutions Company, otherwise known as Jusour, the Mustaqel residency visa programme offers a five-year residency permit with the option of future renewal and is divided into two categories. Applications are expected to open in the upcoming months, with no date set yet.
The ‘Entrepreneur Visa’ is catered to business owners, especially small to medium enterprises. The business models of applicants must be endorsed by a Qatar-based recognised business incubator. If successful, applicants will receive an ‘endorsement code’ which is necessary for completing the online form.
The second category, the ‘Talent Visa,’ encourages skilled individuals within the fields of arts, entertainment, sports, technology to apply. Similarly, highly skilled applicants will require a talent endorsement from a relevant Qatari entity to receive an ‘endorsement code’ and complete their application.
Other documents needed include a passport copy, degree certificate, police clearance certificate, and proof of experience.
Aside from living and working in Qatar, Mustaqel also grants individuals asset ownership, residency benefits as well as recourse to request familial visas for other family members.
The visa application’s administrative costs are 5,000 Qatari Riyals ($1,373) and 4,000 Qatari Riyals ($1,098) for the ‘Entrepreneur’ and ‘Talent’ visas respectively. However, if an application is rejected, the applicant will receive a refund of the administrative fee.
Jusour, which described the Mustaqel as “one of the most important” programmes they have launched, is a private joint stock entity owned by the Qatari government.
Its function is to enhance the national talent pool, bolster economic growth and positively contribute to the developmental goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, which envisages Qatar successfully diversifying its economy.
For instance, a report published by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) on Tuesday highlighted growing momentum for the national non-energy private sector. Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida, CEO of QFC, remarked that “the wholesale and retail and the services sectors continued to drive expansion in May, and financial services remained a bright spot”.
