Qatari resident lodges a petition to reintroduce family visit visas

Qatari resident lodges a petition to reintroduce family visit visas

A Qatari citizen has recently filed a petition to reintroduce the family visit visa for Indian private-sector jobs. On February 28, 2021, he started the petition "Family Visit Visa for Indians working in Qatar under private sector firms" on the website change.org.

He told the ILoveQatar.net team that he launched the petition to request assistance from the Indian Embassy in Qatar. Like those in his situation, he is hoping that the Indian Embassy can interfere and open a line of communication with Qatari authorities.

About 500 people have signed the petition as of March 9, 2021. One thing is evident from those who have expressed their arguments on the petition page: they all want to be connected with their relatives. They claimed that they have been waiting for around a year since the family visit visa was no longer being issued. Everyone has suffered as a result of their alienation from their relatives.

One commenter expressed her desire to reunite with her husband, who is currently in Qatar. After giving birth to their unborn child, she was trapped in her home country. Another is concerned about his daughter, who will not enroll in school because current resident permits are no longer being issued. Newlywed families have also been displaced as a result of the pandemic.

Following a recent false post on social media, the Qatari Embassy in India clarified on March 7, 2021, that Qatar is not granting any new visit, personal, or visitor visas. Indians who are awaiting the resumption of visa issuance have shared their dissatisfaction with the situation in the Embassy's tweet.

Residents of other ethnicities have also called for the official opening of family visa issuance. Some may wonder why the tenants should not just return home to see their families. However, such conditions and causes, such as travel costs, quarantine provisions, leave not being allowed by the employer, or even the risk of losing one's employment may make it difficult for a resident to do so.

To prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, Qatar has banned tourists from 15 countries, including India, from entering the country. This includes visa-on-arrival and temporary visitors. Qatar launched the Exceptional Entry Permit on August 1, 2020, to assist citizens who have been stranded overseas due to restrictions in their home country.

Since December 2020, more than 10% of Qatar's adult population has received one vaccine dose. Qatar is reportedly registering over 460 new COVID-19 cases every day, and the pandemic is still alive.

We must help avoid the spread of COVID-19 by adopting the government's precautionary steps. This involves correctly wearing a mask, keeping a healthy distance from others, downloading the Ehteraz software, adhering to quarantine guidelines, and washing hands often. The fewer new lawsuits there are, the sooner the economy will free up, and we will be able to resume our daily lives.