Working in Oman
For Pakistan passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Oman issues work visas to Pakistani citizens in 14 professional categories (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, IT professionals, engineers and finance roles), and semi-skilled/unskilled hiring is possible only where an employer has a project-specific approval — a real but profession-gated route that the two governments are negotiating to widen. Confirm your exact profession qualifies before paying anyone or resigning a job.
What the employer must have
- Must obtain a labour permit/clearance from Oman's Ministry of Labour, subject to Omanisation (local-hire) quotas, before any visa is possible
- Only an employer representative accredited as a PRO in the Royal Oman Police eVisa system can apply for the employment visa — the worker cannot apply
- For Pakistani hires, the offered job must fall inside the professional categories currently open to Pakistani nationals
What you must do before you leave
- Confirm your exact profession is inside the currently-open categories for Pakistanis BEFORE paying anyone or resigning a job — the list is set government-to-government and changes
- Wait for the employer-obtained Ministry of Labour permit and ROP employment visa; there is no self-application route
- Before departure, register with BEOE's Protector of Emigrants and obtain the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), via a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter or as a direct emigrant — FIA checks the OEC at the airport
Things to watch
- Oman opened 11 professional categories in Aug 2025, grown to 14 by Aug 2026, and per the Pakistani ambassador semi-skilled/unskilled workers can get visas where an employer has a specific project — the direction is easing, but nothing is promised and the open list can change.
- Oman opened 11 professional categories in Aug 2025 and this reportedly grew to 14 by Aug 2026 — the direction is easing, but nothing is promised
- Separately from the Pakistan restriction, a growing list of professions is closed to ALL foreign nationals under Omanisation resolutions phased in through 2025-26
- beoe.gov.pk blocked direct automated verification this session (HTTP 403); the Protector/OEC requirement was confirmed via live search snippets of BEOE pages
- The gate is real but the corridor is in active use — Pakistan's BEOE recorded 8,331 workers proceeding to Oman in the first quarter of 2025, more than to the UAE in the same period. The decisive question is whether YOUR profession is inside the open categories or your employer holds a project-specific approval — not whether Oman is issuing visas at all.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A LICENSED AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU as a service charge is PKR 15,000 (PKR 6,000 if you found the job yourself and only need the paperwork done). You do not hand it over — you deposit it in a bank and the agent is paid only after the Protector of Emigrants confirms you reached the job. Anything he spends on your ticket, medical or visa must come with a signed, stamped receipt.
Rule 15 and 15A, Emigration Rules 1979 (SRO 1058(I)/2023). Charging more is punishable by up to 14 years — Section 22(a), Emigration Ordinance 1979.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.