I am currently on an Article 22 Visa and have started working for a Private Civil Construction Contractor Company. The project on which I am working is a Governmental Project.
If I transfer my residence to Article 18, will my visa be considered in the private category or will it be a governmental project based visa. If private then can I transfer to another sponsor after 1 year while in the other case will it be 3 years or 5 years. Can you please give your opinion?

Name withheld
Answer: If your company is working on a government project, then it is natural that all the visas being provided by the company will be government project visas and in such a case you will not be allowed to transfer to anywhere in the private sector after one year.

You will have to wait for the completion of the project or five years, whichever comes earlier, or three years if you are a university graduate. Local transfers — in such cases — are only allowed if you join a private sector company which has not put you on any government project visa although in both cases the visas are Article 18.