Expatriate workers in Oman who stay away from the Sultanate for over six continuous months or eight non-continuous months in a year will lose visa validity unless their justifications are accepted, according to new rules.

Visas of those who are away from the country for more than 18 months in three years will also be cancelled, the Directorate-general of Passports and Residency was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times .

The stipulations do not apply to family members of the expatriate employee as long as their visas are valid, it said.

There are around 550,000 Indians in Oman, constituting the largest expatriate community in the country. They include skilled workers, technicians, and professionals such as doctors, engineers, bankers, finance experts, managers, with many holding middle and senior management positions in the corporate sector.

An official of the directorate-general also made it clear that an employer cannot demand the cancellation of the visa of an expatriate employee who stays away from Oman unless the period is longer than six months, the report said.

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