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7,689 expats register to leave sultanate under amnesty

22 Nov 2020

As many as 7,689 expatriates  registered in the period from November 15 to 19 to leave the country under the Ministry of Labour’s amnesty scheme.

In a statement, the Ministry of Labour said, ‘The ministry received 7,689 requests from expatriates who wish to leave the country without paying any fines or fees, since online registration began on November 15.’

Of the total, 3,263 expats have left their jobs, 408 have no work permits and 253 expats’ work permits have been cancelled. A total of 3,765 work permits are still active. From among all requests, 93 were with family visas, 87 with family joining visas, 147 visit visas, 12 tourist visas, 7,289 work visas, and 61 with no documents.

The Ministry of Labour said it would exempt employers and expatriate workers from all fees and fines registered against them for overstaying the residency period as a result of expiring residency cards and passports, provided they leave the sultanate between November 15 and December 31. According to the ministry, this is in line with a decision by the Supreme Committee tasked with addressing developments resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry informed that migrant workers whose passports have expired can go to their embassies to renew their travel documents and then visit the Ministry of Labour office at Muscat International Airport to finalise the departure procedures. 

To speed up the process, they should carry their travel documents, tickets, and medical certificates proving that they are free of COVID-19 infection. 

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