Expat recruits with NOCs already denied, confirm company officials in Oman

Recruits holding No Objection Certificates (NOCs) are already being turned down for new jobs in the Sultanate by the Royal Oman Police, company officials told the Times of Oman.
The news that the law has been tightened, first published by timesofoman.com last night, means that expat workers who leave their old jobs and Oman thinking that a NOC will allow them to return to take up a new post within weeks will now have to remain outside of the Sultanate for two years.
Confirming the new development, Faisal Al Wahaibi, a public relations manager at a private company in Muscat, said he was denied visa for a new expatriate recruit by the immigration office even though he had the NOC.
“I went yesterday to the immigration department to apply for a visa for an expatriate who left Oman a couple of months ago. But unfortunately, it was rejected,” said Al Wahaibi.
He added that the news was a shock for him and other public relations officials (PROs) at the department.
“At least, the ROP could have announced the new rule in media or maybe sent an official letter to companies,” Al Wahaibi said, adding the official informed him that the decision came into effect from the beginning of this month.
Meanwhile, Nabil Nasir, another public relations official with a company, said he also experienced a similar situation.
“My request was also rejected even though I showed the officer there the NOC letter,” Nabil said, adding that the certificate is not valid anymore now.
“We have expected something to be there in this matter at the beginning for this year but this is quite hard for companies,” said Nabil.
He added that at the end of last year, the immigration department had asked for the signing of NOC letter in the presence of old and new employers.
“It was technically difficult for us. But at least it was possible to transfer an expat from a company to another without losing a clearance,” said Nabil.