Oman has assured Bangladesh that work visas for Bangladeshi nationals will be reopened within the next two months, said Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul.
The assurance came during a meeting with Oman Labour Minister Mahad bin Said bin Ali Baawain on the sidelines of the Global Labour Market Conference in Riyadh on Monday, according to a PID handout.
During the discussion, the adviser praised Oman’s move to regularise undocumented Bangladeshi workers without imposing fines and urged the authorities to facilitate the entry of skilled professionals, including engineers, doctors and nurses.
He also requested a review of the suspension on visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers.
The Omani labour minister said new work visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers have remained temporarily suspended since 2023 to prioritise the regularisation of undocumented migrants already in the country.
Asif Nazrul highlighted Bangladesh’s efforts to strengthen migration management through technology, legal reforms, pre-departure skill verification, and training on host-country language, culture and laws.
He proposed holding the next meeting of the Joint Technical Committee in Muscat in the first half of the year and invited the Omani minister to sign a finalised memorandum of understanding to deepen bilateral labour cooperation.
