desert-rat

Well you still have that right to come and go as you please as far as the UK is concerned.
When you go and work in foreign countries you have to follow their rules. Its tough but it may be worth it. If its not worth it theres always the good old UK to fall back on.

britexpat76

As above. Wholeheartedly agree its a form of control though.

scot47

Depennds on the job surely ? If I were entrusting an employee with loadsa money I would be a bit concerned that he could just go to the airport and send me a postcard from Panama City.

DOHDUBMAN

Ive just been told i need to come back on working days so i can get my exit visa properly

Maybe time i started working on my exit visa

I dont know what the big concern is though. I dont think ill ever get in the a situation where i need to panic and leave the country in a heartbeat

Things can turn to shit here like mentioned earlier but so to shit that you need to leave in four hours....I cant see this as too much of a problem unless your andy mcnab ?? Obviously family emergencies not included

dubaiguy2011

Re the issuing of exit permits on mobile apps.... We all know how ballacks the telecoms and t'interweb are here....

Point is, the ability to come and go shouldn't be contingent upon anything. Britexpat - you're in minority as you're in control of your own exit permit. 99.99% of others won't be - hence why requiring multiple exit permit is deffo way forwards. I know ppl who have been fvcked over where loved ones etc have been lying/dying in a hospital bed and they've not been able to get on a plane and foxtrot...

dubaiguy2011

Are you an Arab per chance? What a ridiculous statement.

Do you think that everyone that works in Barclays bank in a high street in the UK has to ask the permission of their employer before they trot off for a week in Lanzagrotty...?

DOHDUBMAN

Let me retract all previous statements ive made

I have to fly into Doha on thurs night and leave again on friday night. Work thinks im signing my contract for my apartment. Im really just doing a brunch

As RPOs dont work friday and the visa can only be applied when im back in the country work is being quite arsey saying i cant get one

Now i know ill get one eventually but im pulling and straining and feel like im in the hands of my company to do something for me. Even though im paying for all flights and its not concerning any work matters at all

So basically as mentioned by a few people on here with way more experiance in Doha

Try and get a multi exit visa written into your contract!

Update!
Now im being told it has to go my general manager for approval then higher still
Basically being given the guilt trip about is it worth it?
Very controlling

desert-rat

Well yes actually. Most companies expect their employees to give formal notice in writing regarding holidays etc. There would be a bloody long queue if they all just disappeared to Lanzagrotty at the same time.

britexpat76

That is a good point.

So we have freedom of movement in the UK if your company give you the holiday. The casing point with Doha is the weekends though, (As Ryan is finding out) Dubaiguy as his name suggest can come and go as he pleases to Dubai on the weekend - He can go to timbuktu if he wishes to be spontanious. Anyone without the Multi entry - Or instant access to it is screwed.

DOHDUBMAN

Yup spent all day working on it to end up being completely shafted

First off they started by saying the PROs dont work on the weekend
Then i would need a leave of absence to be signed by the general manager
Then my manager didnt want to phone and ask his manager as it wasnt work related

Im now insisting on a multi entry visa as im in a regional position and dont want to go through this rubbish again....They havent replied to my emails much since though surprisingly

Didnt help that i said it was a joke that if i fancied a weekend in Dubai head office would have to approve it then allow me to go even on my days off

*sigh*

I came across a twat earlier. I stand corrected....Make sure you get a multi exit visa

britexpat76

Its a learning curve mate here and it seems certain people only get employed to be as awkward as possible, or so it would seem.

mrkjd

Things can and do turn to ratsh*t in a heartbeat. Bahrain, Syria, Libya etc. It is naive to think that if a political situation deteriorates your sponsor will jump to getting you an exit visa ASAP. They might .... but then again they might not, or might not be able to if the immigration office goes up in smoke. Having said all that I'm not sure this is a show-stopper for me in the case of Doha but it definitely would be if I was in Saudi and couldn't hop across the causeway.

In Saudi your Iqama is a slave-card. You can't exit without permission from your sponsor; can't buy a car; can't open a bank account. It used to be that you HAD to leave your passport with the sponsor too (not sure that is the case anymore). That is the way it is in the ME - you are your sponsor's property. And you should clearly understand that concept before taking work here. I am surprised that this exit permit thing in Qatar is more stringent than Saudi but I'll see what the Employer says and weigh up the package as a whole.

DOHDUBMAN

dubaiguy2011

Mate, you've completely missed the point / bastardised what I said. This isn't about notification of annual leave, this is about the ability to jump on a plane and go somewhere without requiring the consent of your employer.

desert-rat

I didn't bastardise anything. I quoted you word for word. Ok so you can't leave Qatar without getting an exit permit from your employer unless you have a multi exit permit. Maybe time to change employers or go back to Blighty?