Muscat: More than 12,000 expat workers have left the Sultanate since the introduction of the “outpass” grace system that allows residents with expired or no documentation to leave the country.

Salim Said al-Badi, Director General of Labour Welfare at the Ministry of Labour, has said that, earlier, the ministry announced a grace period during which employers and expatriate workers would be exempt from fees, fines charged against employment discrepancies provided the expatriate manpower leave the Sultanate terminally.

The initiative was aimed at regulating the labour market and facilitating the departure of expatriate workers in the implementation of the decisions of the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Read More: ‘Outpass’ Grace Scheme For Expats With Expired Work Permits Extended

Al-Badi pointed out that the grace period has been extended till the 31st of March 2021.

He urged all those wishing to leave the Sultanate to benefit from the grace incentives offered within the grace period.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Al-Badi said that as many as 57,748 expatriate workers responded to the offer of the Ministry. Among these, a total of 12,378 already left the Sultanate, said Al-Badi.

He added that the Ministry is working hard to regulate the labour market in the private sector and improve ties with “the production parties” (employers, employees).

The Ministry is conducting regular visits to private sector establishments to check their commitment to provisions of the Labour Law and ministerial decisions, Said al-Badi.

He explained that the ministry has a specialized department tasked to study different phenomena and developments in the labour market and their implications. The department also proposes solutions to issues raised in the studies.