Qatar, isolated by its neighbours in a diplomatic crisis, on 9th August, introduced a visa-free entry programme for 80 nationalities to stimulate air transport and tourism. By this visa exemption scheme will make Qatar the most open country in the region. Nationals of 80 countries would only need to present a valid passport for entry. Interestingly India in this list but Pakistan did not.
The waiver programme, which came into immediate effect, affects countries of the European Union’s Schengen zone, other Western states, Latin American and Asian nations.
Nationals of 33 countries will now be authorised to reside in Qatar for 180 days and the other 47 states listed for up to 30 days, periods which are renewable a single time.
On Aug 3, Qatar created a new permanent residents status for certain groups of foreigners, including those who have worked for the benefit of the emirate, a first for the Gulf.
Under the new rules, children with a Qatari mother and a foreign father can benefit from the new status, along with foreign residents who have “given service to Qatar” or have “skills that can benefit the country”.
Those deemed eligible for the new status will be afforded the same access as Qataris to free public services, such as health and education.
Qatar has flown in food supplies from Turkey and Iran and chartered new shipping routes via Oman to bring in construction materials but hotel occupancy rates have fallen with Saudis, a key source of tourism, barred by their government from visiting the country.
Visitors from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council usually account for almost half of all visitors to Qatar.
Foreign workers from countries including India and Nepal account for around 90 percent of Qatar's population of 2.7 million.
Indians in Qatar
Indians constitute by far the biggest single nationality in Qatar, numbering at around 650,000 at the end of 2016. The community witnessed a massive increase between 2004 and 2008 when it jumped from 170,000 to around 400,000. While the growth has slowed down since then, it is still formidable and Indians are most likely to stay the biggest national group in the country for the foreseeable future.
Traditionally Kerala was sending the most people to Qatar, however according to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Uttar Pradesh has taken that title away since at least 2011. This seems to be part of the general trend in which the northern states are emerging as the leading areas of Indian emigration to Qatar. Between 2011 and 2014 the main sending states of Indian labour to Qatar were as follows in decreasing order: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
This shift has been occurring across the Gulf, but somewhat varies in its prominence from country to country – Kuwait for example still receives noticeably more Indian nationals from the Southern States, especially Andhra Pradesh.