Changing family joining visa to work visa

Hi joanneujunwa,

To be employed, an expatriate employee must be holding a valid employment visa. Simple.

So if your employer is asking whether you need an employment visa itself is incorrect. What that means is, your employer does not wish to utilise their employment clearance which they are holding, if you are willing to work for them, yet remain on your husband's dependent visa.

It is obviously something illegal. If found during a surprise labour check, then both your employer (first) and you (next) could get fined and be in trouble. This is the law.

But most employers take the risks so that they can get on with their jobs, without having to wait indefinitely for the employment clearance to be issued.

If you want to play by the rules and if you wish to be on the right side of the law, then you must get your dependent visa cancelled and must ask your employers to provide you with a proper 2-year employment visa.

thanks sumitran.my problem is that the pay isnt much to warrant two year stay with them.this isnt my choice job,so if i go for work visa,at the end of the job,will it be possible for me to change back to my husbands family visa.

Hi joanneujunwa,

Any expatriate employee, to either change their visa status, or to find an alternative employment must be armed with the NOC from the last sponsor / employer.

If the school is ready and willing to give you the NOC (make sure it is clearly mentioned in your employment contract and you have it in formal writing even before you take up the job, if you are going to be doing so), then you can change back to your husband's dependent visa.

If the school does not agree to give you an NOC ... then you would have no other option but to wait outside the Sultanate for a full 2 year period from the date of your departure - before you can come back in on any visa.

This is what the rule says.

Please read the many other discussions on the same subject, or on very similar topics already available in the forum for you to get a fair idea of how it all works.

It's quite scary.how often do the labour check the workers.can I work for one year indicated??

joanneujunwa wrote:

It's quite scary.how often do the labour check the workers.can I work for one year indicated??

Hi joanneujunwa,

For obvious reasons, the Ministry of Manpower would only conduct 'surprise' checks, and 'shock and awe' raids.

Hi Sumitran, as you mentioned employer NOC is required to change to any visa. Does it  include Visit Visa as well.

RAHUL2014 wrote:

Hi Sumitran, as you mentioned employer NOC is required to change to any visa. Does it  include Visit Visa as well.

Hi RAHUL2014,

As per the labour laws, the NOC is needed for an expatriate employee who has resigned and has exited, to return to Oman on any type of visa, including even the Investor Visa ! And definitely yes, a visit visa would not be granted without the NOC.

That's the rule. However, there have been instances of this rule being either bent or in some cases even broken.