Amnesty for illegal workers in Oman

OVERSTAYERS CAN USE 3-MONTH PERIOD TO LEAVE WITHOUT FINES

Oman has declared an amnesty for illegal foreign workers to leave the country without being penalised, an official at the Ministry of Manpower has said.

More than 55,000 foreigners, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, are expected to take the advantage of the amnesty that will start from May 3 to July 30.

The amnesty will only apply to absconding workers and those who have overstayed their visa periods. Infiltrators will not be included in the amnesty, the official told Gulf News.

Expatriates constitute 1.82 million, or 44 per cent, of Oman’s total population of 4.16 million.

“Illegal workers will be allowed to leave the country as long as they don’t have any pending cases,” said the official.

Awareness campaigns will be introduced to educate the public about the amnesty, the official said.

The official asked the illegal workers to come forward and take advantage of the amnesty.

Meanwhile, Oman has intensified its campaign against infiltrators and illegal foreign workers by carrying weekly inspection campaigns and raids. Oman recently arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries. The last amnesty for illegal workers was in 2010, and it led to a significant turnout. The total number of expatriate workers in Oman stood at 1.58 million by the end of last February.

A diaspora expert in India said that around 60,000 Indians may benefit from the amnesty.

S. Irudayarajan, who heads the migration cell at the Centre for Development Studies, told IANS that Oman has an estimated 400,000 Indians, among them 189,000 Keralites.

“Of the 400,000 Indians in Oman, around 15 per cent would be without legal documents. This is the best time for all those who do not have proper documents to either rectify that or return home,” said Irudayarajan.

Training for workers

He said, according to informed sources, a similar scheme might be announced in Bahrain in two months’ time.

“We have made numerous requests to the authorities that there should be a pre-departure training for Indians who decide to take up jobs in the Middle East countries,” said Irudayarajan.

He said most of the people who do not have valid documents are labourers who pay around Rs100,000 to get a work visa.

“At times, some people are unlucky as they do not get the job and the salary they were promised, and then trouble starts for them. After the completion of their contract term which could be two or three years, they skulk from the employer and then they work illegally and end up without having any documents for a legal stay,” Irudayarajan said.

The most recent study conducted by K.C. Zachariah and Irudayarajan reveals that the number of Kerala emigrants as in 2014 was 2.36 million, nearly 90 per cent of whom are in various Middle Eastern countries.

Remittances were 1.2 times the revenue receipts of the state and 4.9 times the money that the state got from the central government.

Kerala Minister for Diaspora K.C. Joseph said that he learnt about the amnesty scheme and will get it touch with various Kerala-based organisations to help those people who wish to return.

“If required, I will make a visit to Oman. All those who wish to return would be asked to return. The purpose of my visit would be to open a dialogue with the Omani authorities to see that they help people who wish to remain there by rectifying their documents,” said Joseph.

Beneficiaries

55,000 people are expected to make use of the amnesty