Oman to reopen work visas for Bangladeshis within 2 months
According to a press release issued today, the meeting was held on the sidelines of the Global Labour Market Conference in Riyadh.
Oman is set to reopen work visas for Bangladeshi workers within two months following discussions between Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul and Oman's Labour Minister Mahad bin Said bin Ali Baawain Salim Al-Busaidi.
According to a press release issued today (27 January), the meeting was held on the sidelines of the Global Labour Market Conference in Riyadh.
During the meeting, Asif Nazrul praised the Oman's government's initiative to regularise undocumented Bangladeshi workers without imposing fines. He also sought Oman's cooperation to facilitate the entry of skilled Bangladeshi professionals, including engineers, doctors and nurses, into the labour market.
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In addition, the adviser requested a review of the existing suspension on visas for unskilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers.
Oman's labour minister said new work visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers have been suspended since 2023 to prioritise the regularisation of irregular and undocumented migrants, and assured that visas for Bangladesh would reopen within two months.
Asif Nazrul briefed the minister on the interim government's initiatives to improve migration management, including the use of technology for transparency and accountability, legal reforms, pre-departure skill verification, and training on the host country's language, culture and laws.
The expatriates' welfare adviser proposed holding the next Joint Technical Committee (JTC) meeting in Muscat in the first half of the year and urged the Oman's labour minister to sign the already finalised memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral ties and labour cooperation.
