The expat visa ban was first announced in January 2018 with the aim to reduce local unemployment. Since then, it has been renewed once and extended to several other professions. It is being renewed for another six months.
As part of the new Omanisation policy, the Omani Ministry of Manpower had, in January, 2018, announced that several sectors of the economy could not hire expatriates anymore, according to the Khaleej Times. At the end of April, this ban has been renewed for the second time for another six month. The aim being to decrease unemployment levels for Omanis.
According to the Times of Oman, tens of thousands of Omanis have found a job since the first decree was issued for the ban causing the expat population to drop since the introduction. Oman and other Gulf countries are known to be particularly attractive to expatriates because of the significant salaries. In 2013, expats made up 71% of the labor market in Oman. According to Arab News, almost 70, 000 expats have left the job market in Oman since the decree. The Omanisation program follow a regional push from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to increase employment of their citizens.
This time around, the ban has been extended to the construction and cleaning industries although there are a few exceptions for Small and Medium Enterprises for example. This brings the list of professions which cannot be filled by foreign workers to 87. These are the professions included in the expat visa ban, according to the Times of Oman.
Anne-Lise studied Psychology for 4 years in the UK before finding her way back to Mauritius and being a journalist for 3 years and heading 大咖福利影院's editorial department for 5. She loves politics, books, tea, running, swimming, hiking...
