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Dhaka: Oman has assured that work visas for Bangladeshi workers will be reopened within the next two months, signaling a positive development for labor migration between the two countries.
The assurance came during a bilateral meeting between Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Dr. Asif Nazrul and Oman’s Minister of Labour Dr. Mahad bin Saeed bin Ali Baowain Salim Al-Busaidi. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Global Labor Market Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, read a press release of the expatriate welfare ministry.
During the discussion, Dr. Asif Nazrul praised the Omani government’s initiative to regularize undocumented Bangladeshi workers without imposing penalties. He also sought Oman’s cooperation in facilitating the entry of skilled Bangladeshi professionals, including engineers, doctors, and nurses, into the Omani labor market. In addition, he requested a review of the suspension imposed on visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers.
The Omani labor minister explained that the suspension of new work visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers, imposed since 2023, was intended to prioritize the regularization of existing irregular and undocumented migrant workers. He informed that Oman plans to reopen work visas for Bangladesh within the next two months.
Dr. Asif Nazrul briefed the Omani minister on various initiatives undertaken by the interim government, including the use of technology in migration management, ensuring transparency and accountability, legal reforms, pre-departure skills assessment, and orientation training to familiarize workers with the host country’s language, culture, and laws.
The Bangladeshi adviser also proposed convening the next session of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) in Muscat in the first half of this year. He further invited Oman to sign the finalized Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance labor cooperation between the two countries.
K
