The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) has urged private sector institutions and business owners to take advantage of various exemptions that will be granted to them, with regards to the expatriate workforce.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) last week said establishments and individuals will be exempted from paying fines pertaining to delayed renewals of resident cards.
The ROP said, “In the implementation of His Majesty’s Royal directives, establishments and individuals will be exempted from paying fines pertaining to the delayed renewal of resident cards effective on April 6, 2022, provided that the current situation is rectified before September 1, 2022.”
Eng Redha bin Juma al Saleh, Chairman of OCCI, said, “Exempting establishments and individuals from fines related to the delay in renewing residence and the resident card works to control and regulate the labour market.”
He added, “The Royal Oman Police’s announcement to exempt establishments and individuals from fines related to the delay in renewing residence and the resident card comes to work on controlling and regulating the labour market.”
Al Saleh said the announcement came considering the implementation of the royal directives from His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to reduce the fees for issuing and renewing licences for the recruitment of the expatriate workforce, which will facilitate business in a way that supports economic activity.”
He said that these exemptions come at a time when many private sector institutions are working to rebuild their institutions and address the effects left by the pandemic. Therefore, the exemption from fines will accelerate recovery and return to growth rates for many institutions.
It may be noted that the Ministry of Labour has exempted companies and individuals from renewal penalties; provided that the renewal is completed before September 1, 2022, while the new discounted fees for work permits will be effective from June 1, 2022.
In line with the Royal directives for the work permit discounted fees, the Ministry of Labour announced the new fees for expatriates according to the type of profession.
A 30-per cent discount will be granted to companies abiding by the Omanisation percentage.
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