Work visas for Bangladeshis to reopen soon, says Oman after talks in Riyadh
- Update Time : Tuesday, 27 January, 2026, 04:14 pm
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Online Desk : Bangladesh’s Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Dr. Asif Nazrul, held talks with Oman’s Minister of Labor, Dr. Mahad bin Said bin Ali Ba’owain, on the sidelines of the Global Labor Market Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Oman assured that work visas for Bangladeshi workers would be reopened soon. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the meeting focused on strengthening labor cooperation between the two countries. Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul praised the Omani government’s initiative to regularize undocumented Bangladeshi workers without imposing fines, calling it a positive step for migrant welfare.
During the discussion, the adviser sought Oman’s cooperation to ensure that skilled Bangladeshi professionals, including engineers, doctors and nurses, could enter the Omani labor market. He also requested a review of the current suspension on visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. In response, the Omani Labor Minister said that new work visas for unskilled and semi-skilled workers have been temporarily suspended since 2023, as priority was given to regularizing undocumented expatriate workers already in the country. However, he assured that work visas for Bangladesh would be reopened “within the next two months.”
Dr. Asif Nazrul also briefed the Omani minister on steps taken by Bangladesh’s interim government, including the use of technology in migration management to ensure transparency and accountability, legal reforms, skill verification before sending workers abroad, and pre-departure training to familiarize workers with the language, culture and laws of destination countries. The adviser proposed holding the next session of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) in Muscat during the first half of this year. He also invited the Omani labor minister to sign the finalized Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing labor cooperation between Bangladesh and Oman.
