Oman pares salary limit of expats for family visas

The ROP (Royal Oman Police) said that expats earning a salary of OMR300 ($779.12) and above now are allowed to be accompanied by their family members to Oman. Earlier, only expats who were earning OMR600 and above could get a ‘family joining visa’. Sultan Al Abri, Oman’s Shura Council member, was quoted by Gulf News as saying that they arrived at the decision after the Council’s recommendation to give a fillip to the Omani economy. Al Abri said that they had made this recommendation in the early part of 2017. Following the revision of rules, more expats would able bring their families to the Sultanate of Oman, he added. Ahmad Al Mamari, an economist, told the newspaper that he was of the view that this move would generate more revenue for Oman as more people would in the country. Under the ‘family joining visa,’ also to be allowed are children below the age of 21. Al Mamari said that this would facilitate more money to be created through visa services, as well. This new rule will allow more expatriates to stay in Oman, he said. According to him, thousands left this Gulf country when a law was passed in 2013 barring expatriates earning under OMR600 riyals per month from obtaining the family joining visa. The Central Bank of Oman’s data shows that expat remittances dropped by 6.5 percent (OMR3.95 billion) in 2016, down from OMR4.2 billion remitted abroad in 2015. The report opined that fall was owing to the fact that many expats had found it tough to send money home because of both the economic slump and the increase in the cost of living. Lot of expats earning around OMR300 hailed this move. Rajesh Mahesh, a national of India employed in the private sector, said that he was really pleased as it was tough to be living away from the family for one year. Mohammad Munsef, a Bangladeshi worker also felt happy, as he said that it was a great feeling to return to your family every night after work. The minimum monthly income rule for ‘family joining visa’ was introduced by Oman in 2011. The proportion of Omani nationals working in the country’s private sector at the end of August 2017 was 14.6 percent, as more than 1.5 million expats are employed in the private sector of Oman. The total number of expats, including family members, living in Oman was about 2 million expats. If you are looking to work in Oman, get in touch with Y-Axis, a prominent firm for immigration services, to apply for its work visa.