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6 Sep 2021

Qatar: World Cup contractors allegedly misusing visas to recruit Nepali workers left vulnerable to contract substitution & fee-charging; incl. Supreme Committee & co. responses

Kathmandu Airport

In August 2021, Migrant-Rights.org reported that project or short-term visas are increasingly being misused to recruit Nepali workers to work in Qatar, rather than the Qatar Visa Centre procedures, which can potentially prevent contract substitution and other exploitative practices.

Citing evidence gathered from labour rights activist Andy Hall, the report alleges that workers are being duped with false contracts, are paying extortionate recruitment fees and are at risk of bearing the cost for quarantine on arrival in Qatar. It references several advertisements for recruitment to World Cup contractors Urbacon Trading & Contracting (UCC), Al Jaber and Galfar Al Misnad that do not comply with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy's ethical recruitment standards. The report quotes an anonymous HR procurement officer at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs who states "They bypass QVC procedures, and on arrival in Qatar will have to go through medical and fingerprinting alone. These visas are almost all issued for the completion of urgent World Cup projects. But there are others who misuse it, even for regular contracts.”

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited the recruitment agencies named, the World Cup contractors, FIFA and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy to respond to the allegations. UrbaCon Trading & Contracting, Galfar Al Misnad, recruiter Grand Shikhar Overseas and the Supreme Committee have provided responses which can be read in full below. Al Jaber, Al Jaber Trading & Contracting, Al Jaber Engineering and recruitment agencies Diamond Star Overseas, Saan Nepal and Advanced Management did not respond. FIFA also did not respond.

Company Responses

Galfar Al Misnad View Response
UrbaCon Trading & Contracting View Response
Grand Shikhar Overseas View Response
Al Jaber Group (Qatar)

No Response

Al Jaber Engineering

No Response

Saan Nepal

No Response

Diamond Star Overseas

No Response

Advanced Management Consultants

No Response

FIFA

No Response

Al Jaber Trading & Contracting

No Response

Timeline