Qatar Is First Gulf Nation to Grant Expats Permanent Residency - Bloomberg

Qatar Is First Gulf Nation to Grant Expats Permanent Residency - Bloomberg:

Qatar has officially made permanent residency an option for a limited number of foreigners, a landmark development in the energy-rich Gulf.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a decree allowing a maximum of 100 expatriates to gain permanent residency each year, giving them access to a generous welfare system and commercial rights previously reserved for citizens of the world’s biggest exporter of natural gas. The Ministry of Interior will decide on applications, according to the Sept. 4 decree.

A yearlong boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt has lent added urgency to encouraging expatriates to stay in the country by granting some of them more rights. Permanent residency for foreigners has been a controversial issue in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, where citizens’ privileges are guarded zealously. Expatriates make up more than 90 percent of Qatar’s 2.7 million people.