Additional Job Titles Added to Suspension on Hiring of Foreign Nationals

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At a Glance

• Effective immediately, the Ministry of Manpower in Oman has restricted employers in the private sector from applying for or renewing work visas for foreign nationals in the following professions: assistant general manager, managing director, human resources manager, personnel manager or officer, training manager, follow-up manager, public relations manager; assistant director and all administrative and clerical professions.
• This ban, which is likely permanent, has been issued in addition to the existing temporary ban on hiring foreign nationals in 87 professions, implemented in January 2019.

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The situation

Effective immediately, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Oman has restricted employers in the private sector from applying for or renewing work visas for foreign nationals in additional professions. The government has not stated if or when these restrictions will end.

A closer look

The restricted professions are:

• assistant general manager;
• managing director;
• human resources manager;
• personnel manager or officer;
• training manager;
• follow-up manager;
• public relations manager;
• assistant director; and
• all administrative and clerical professions.

 

Impact for employers

Since the new regulation further restricts the employment of foreign nationals across various industries in Oman, employers will need to increase their efforts in recruiting from the local workforce until the suspension is lifted (if it is lifted at all).

Impact for foreign nationals

Foreign nationals in these restricted professions can remain in their positions until their work visa expires. However, once their work visa expires, they must either amend their job titles or find alternative jobs in different professional categories, as their visas will not be renewed with the current job title.

Background

In recent years, the MOM has implemented measures to increase the number of Omani nationals working in the private sector, including the ongoing suspension of the recruitment of foreign nationals in 87 other professions and the amendment of part-time employment regulations for Omanis, among other decisions.

Looking ahead

A strong focus on hiring Omani nationals is expected to continue as the unemployment rate among young Omanis remains relatively high as compared to other countries in the region. Some neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, also struggle with high unemployment rates. However, instead of restricting foreign workers, they are increasing efforts to attract foreign investment. For example, Saudi Arabia has approved a draft law which would introduce residence permits for highly-skilled and wealthy foreign nationals; the United Arab Emirates has introduced a long-term residence visa; and Qatar has implemented permanent residence for select foreign nationals.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].