Qatar has made permanent residency an option for a limited number of foreigners.

The decree issued by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on 4 September says that up to 100 expatriates will be granted permanent residency each year.

Residents born in Qatar must have lived in the country for 10 years, while those born overseas need to have lived in the country for 20 years.

Permanent residents will have access to Qatar’s welfare system and can establish commercial entities without a local partner.

Qatar also says it will allow most foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers.

Employers can still require up to five percent of their workforce to request permission to leave if they perform critical duties for the company.

Qatar announced plans last year to introduce a minimum wage law, one of several labour reform measures that it has agreed to adopt to potentially avoid a formal inquiry by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The Qatari government also agreed to allow trained inspectors to monitor labour practices in the country.