Oman’s government extended the expat visa ban for a further six months (ban extension came into force on 31 May) in certain professions and industries. The Ministry of Manpower first introduced the visa ban in Jan 2018 as it worked to reduce the number of unemployed locals in the country as part of the Omanisation project. The ban has been extended a number of times since it was introduced. Approximately 55,000 expatriates who previously worked in Oman have been dismissed by companies up until Mar 2019, according to data published by the Omani government.