Business owners or ‘authorised representatives’ of a company must be present at the Directorate of Passport and Residences to confirm a no objection certificate for the expat to return to work in a different company in the Sultanate, a top official has said in a statement.
The decision came after expats and business owner faced a lot of confusion while processing no objection certificates (NOCs) as well as for combating false claims of NOCs and to adhere to the current law that is in place, said Brigadier Hilal Al Busaidi, Director General of Passport and Residences.
He stressed that the law, according to Article 11 of the Residency Law, still remains as it is where it states that a work visa will not be issued to an expatriate who previously worked in the Sultanate, for two years after the date of departure.
With regard to issuing of work visas for women, Brig. Al Busaidi said there isn’t a strict criterion in place except with regard to organising the visa depending on the type of work.
“Some jobs are not in tune with the gender of the individual to work as,” said Brig. Al Busaidi.
He added that the Directorate General of Passport and Residency must find a balance when implementing the expatriate workforce in the Sultanate with regard to the situation when dealing with visas.
Visiting visas will remain as normal according to the law with regard to this type. Women can apply normally like anyone else.