Expats should be well-aware of what’s happening in their environment especially if it includes employment-related matters. Oman has been releasing news about the expat visa ban that is currently being implemented in the country. If it’s your first time hearing about this, continue reading the rest of this article.
Also Read: Best Hotels in Muscat, Oman
Foreign countries welcome foreign workers in return in the hopes to better the services offered by their companies because expats are most likely skilled and professional. However, there will be times that you may be deported or taken out of your position because due to vacate positions for local Omani employees. In relation to this, here’s what you need to know about Expat Visa Ban in Oman.
Ban on Senior Management Roles
The previous has brought the news that there will be a ban on expat visas starting this year and that it will affect not only the newcomers but as well as other expats who have been in the country for a while.
The following are the details of Oman’s decision:
- According to the ministerial decisions 200/2019, there will be a “freeze on permits for expat workers in private sector institutions which engage in construction and cleaning work.”
- The decision is not applicable to companies with more than 100 workers since the government exempted these companies as well as the SMEs that are appropriately registered at Public Authority for SME development.
- Some position that will be affected by this ban includes administration managers, assistant general managers, follow-up managers, human resources managers and directors, employee affairs managers, public relations managers, and training managers.
- Before this decision has been made, there was already a recruitment ban on expats in selected professions so to help the country reduce the number of unemployment. It was designed to regulate the labor market of Oman and open job opportunities for local citizens.
- The previous freeze on the visas of expats was first implemented last January 2018 to ban 87 professions and it was extended for 6 months until July of the said year.
Also Read: Things to Know Before Moving to Oman
Expat Visa Ban Extended
The decision to ban expat employee in construction and cleaning industry is extended to six months starting from May 31, 2019. This means that the hiring of local Omanis will continue in the specific sector, thus, expat workers will be ban from working in the country if they fall within this sector.
The Gulf region has been dependent on expat employees for the past years to better the performance of its economy. In fact, based on the 2013 study, 71% of Oman’s workforce were foreigners. But now that the government is trying to increase the percentage of local employees, they are doing the best they can to regulate the labor market in the best way possible.