Oman to legalise 96,000 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals: state minister

The country is also considering waiving fines for illegal immigrants

As many as 96,000 Bangladeshi nationals living without valid documents in Oman will be legalised by the West Asian nation, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury has said.

Oman is considering waiving penalties for these residents, he said after a meeting with Oman's Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdul Ghaffar Bin Abdul Karim Al Bulushi, at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Oman has opened the labour market for 12 kinds of people, including doctors, engineers, nurses and teachers, according to him.

Shofiqur said although Oman approves visas for skilled manpower only, Bangladesh will propose sending unskilled manpower in a joint working committee meeting expected to be held soon.

Bangladesh’s cordial relations with Oman would be further strengthened by sending skilled manpower to Oman, said the state minister.

Discussions were also held on dedicating a Technical Training Centre, or TTC for Bangladeshis willing to work in Oman, he said. “We aim to arrange training for workers based on Oman’s demand in one of our TTCs."