Muscat: An expatriate worker who leaves his job in Oman will not be able to return before two years even if he/she obtains a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from previous employer.
“A No Objection Certificate (NOC) will not assure that an expatriate can return to Oman after leaving his job,” Times of Oman quoted senior police official as saying. The officer reiterated that holding a certificate from an ex-employer no longer guarantees being able to work in Oman again within two years of exit.
The new rules were confirmed by Major Rashid Al Abri who said Oman was tightening up procedures for expatriate workers wanting to return, adding “the final decision is of Royal Oman Police (ROP).”
An exception to the strict rules, he added, was that if both the old and the new sponsor — not a company representative but the sponsor-themselves — came in person to the immigration office to sign the NOC for approval from the ROP. There were media reports yesterday that company representatives could process the papers at the immigration office, but the official said this was not fully correct.
It means that the only way an expat employee can join a new company is if he stays within Oman and both the sponsors, previous and current, come in person to the immigration office to sign the NOC for approval from the ROP.
But, even if an employee is able to get both sponsors to attend and complete the paperwork, Major Al Abri said there were still factors that could lead to a denial.
“This decision was taken by the ROP and has nothing to do with the Ministry of Manpower,” said Advisor to the Minister of Manpower, Said bin Naser Al Sadi. “We can talk about the work rule but for entrance and exit from the country comes under the ROP and we can’t interfere,” he added.
“This new policy is even more regressive and makes little sense if Oman wants to attract experienced workers. Barring workers who know the country and its economy, re-entry is simply bad for productivity and efficiency,” Times of Oman quoted Rima Kalush as saying. Rima is editor at migrant-rights.org and a migrant rights’ activist.
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