Hire Omanis and Send ‘free visa’ expats packing

To entice migrants to come to Oman for work, agents and some unscrupulous company bosses employ  the term ‘Free visa’. Actually, there is no such thing which they soon realise when they arrive.  At the whim of corrupt ‘labour contractors and company bosses, they find themselves working on daily rates with no legal protection having paid a lot of money to agents in home countries.

To face the law or hire nationals are the outcomes to be faced by companies who are illegally bringing workers to Oman as per the words of an Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) official.

Separate from the Ministry of Manpower and as a result of the Tanfeedh programmes, an independent fund will be established soon which might resolve many of these problems.

Not to hire black market workers and to hunt down those who flout the law were the warnings issued to the companies by the ministry as promised.From proxy companies that hired workers illegally, or institutions that are apparently/superficially owned by a citizen, yet in reality owned by an expatriate stemmed most cases of absconding employees.

For labour violations, illegal workers of approximately numbering to 20,000 are arrested each year. By undermining efforts to develop Oman’s economy, this process consumes government resources, which could be put to use elsewhere.

Fines of up to OMR 2,000 and barring from using ministry services for two year for both sponsors and employers caught in the act under ministry regulations, with the employer also being ordered to cover the costs of his workers’ flights home will be among some of the consequences.

Finally, deportation and a ban from working in Oman and a charge up to OMR 800 has to be faced by the workers themselves .