POZ Community Forums

Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: Valmont on September 21, 2011, 12:40:53 pm

Title: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 21, 2011, 12:40:53 pm
I´ve just received a very very interesting proposition for working in Europe, but in the negotiation, it appears that I would have to be for 6 months in Oman.  No problem for me, I´ve been some months in middle east... before !

I saw that Oman had some restrictive rules for people with HIV.

Does anyone here has a personnal experience in regard to this country?  It is quite urgent...

Many thanks...
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: spacebarsux on September 21, 2011, 12:50:50 pm
Hey Valmont,

The info on HIVtravel.org for Oman states that "All long term visa applications (employment, residence etc.) require a medical exam, including an HIV-test. Persons testing positive are expelled.
There are no health controls at the border"
.

Long Term Visa is a visa for > 90 days.

Link:- http://hivtravel.org/Default.aspx?PageId=143&Mode=list&StateId=4

Best
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 22, 2011, 12:33:26 pm
Ok, thanks, this sucks, the company insists for me...  No way I will have to deny this offer...
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: GusInJune on September 22, 2011, 12:44:54 pm
WELL when would you be going? In enough time to get on meds and become UD? Some UD people test negative sometimes. Of course getting your meds once you get there might be complicated. Either way, you're looking at having to pull some James Bond shit to get into that country. :/
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Ann on September 22, 2011, 12:58:49 pm

Some UD people test negative sometimes.


No, they don't.

Once you are hiv antibody positive, you will continue to test hiv antibody positive. The only person who has tested negative after being positive is Timothy Brown, the "Berlin Patient" who had hiv eradicated from his body, resulting in a cure.

The only other positive-to-negatives we've seen were in people in advanced stages of aids - and on their death-beds. Such people would hardly be needing work visas anywhere.

Countries that use testing to weed out pozzies use antibody tests, not viral load tests, so his infection would be caught regardless of whether or not he was UD.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: GusInJune on September 22, 2011, 01:07:27 pm
Well I stand corrected, I could've sworn I had heard, guess not.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 22, 2011, 03:23:42 pm
For Middle East, in the fact and despite legislation ask for them, do they really check the HIV test for visa?

In some countries in Southamerica, there were some requerement at a time, but there were never really applied in practice...
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: spacebarsux on September 22, 2011, 03:51:43 pm
It's clear to me that once you apply for a Long Term Visa for Oman they will ask to screen your blood for HIV and on finding it will deny you a visa.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: mecch on September 22, 2011, 04:51:45 pm
Since this is a job offer, the company is not your employer.  What would you lose by telling them you want the job but the visa for OMAN could be a problem because you are HIV+, and do they have a workaround idea?  Sounds like you are already not going to have the job because you decide its not possible. Maybe let them decide if it is possible or not.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: LM on September 22, 2011, 04:54:54 pm
I don't know how it works for Oman, but I know some people that need to stay over 3 months in a country and instead of getting a long-term visa, when they approach 90 days, they leave the country and then reenter a few days letter to get another tourist visa. I don't know it would work for Oman, but it's an idea.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: mecch on September 22, 2011, 05:03:31 pm
I also wonder if another, not great, strategy is to take the job and when and if the OMAN test presents a problem, say you had no idea HIV would be a problem.  Yeah, this could waste everyones time but also, if the company does not ask you if you are HIV+ when they hire you, how could they say you signed a contract in bad faith. They might be forced to find a solution or face a civil rights problem.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: spacebarsux on September 22, 2011, 05:18:09 pm
I think another crucial thing you need to consider is that your posting there is for 6 whole months. The HIVtravel.org website clearly states that "Persons whose HIV-positive status becomes known are deported".

Thus, even if you do manage to get in by whatever means, you won't be able to monitor your labs for a full 6 months. Not just that, but also should you require medical attention and your status becomes known- you will be deported. Add to that the possibility of your employers getting to know that you knew you status at the time you accepted the job offer. It all sounds a bit too risky to me.

Hmm...is it possible at all for you to bargain a little bit with your prospective employers to cut out this middle east option?
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 22, 2011, 08:35:29 pm
I´ll have the final negotiation meeting tomorrow, I was thinking of going on with this project.  Many time, multinational make their workers work with turist visa for short mission, I saw it, for 6 months it can work that way...

Anyway, you are right, with a contract signed, they will have to charge myself and assign me another kind of mission or country...

By another way, here, I only have lab monitoring each 6 months, the other thing is to take a plane a week end and made them outside Oman, lab is not a problem, and this kind of job is not a problem till I don´t receive meds...

Many thanks for your opinion
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 24, 2011, 08:48:24 am
I had my meeting, it was great...  Work in Oman is a short term mission, less than 6 months, then I will go back to France and be able to travel regularly in the world.  I may do it with a tourist visa as LM suggested because it is possible to stay for 90 days twice.  What make me a little worry is that this company has a lot of works in middle east, just in those countries that received so well people with HIV...  I still cannot believe how HIV is a problem for travelling and for long term visa.  I´m still waiting for an answer from Canada for my application and with the same kind of problems...

I have to see if I´m selected and the definitive offer, I will know that next week maybe...  It is a 100 % great technical position, with installation that I will never see here, but in another hand I´ve been managing companies for 5 years now and maybe it is more compatible with having VIH...
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: mecch on September 24, 2011, 01:25:36 pm
I am really glad you did not limit yourself based on your own fear (reasonable or not) of a potential act of discrimination in the future.
Its a good model for me to think about too! Thanks.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on September 26, 2011, 06:10:40 pm
Thanks a lot, Mecch, for your comment. 

It´s just my way how to make thinks, it is not because of HIV, it has always been like this, you have the limits you decide to have...  Thinking in big, dreaming of a best future, looking for my dreams, taking some risks, trying to do new things, avoiding rutine is what I try to do... 

For sure, it also made me take very bad decisions, but it is part of me and I have to assume them...  Anyway, it has brought me much more better things than bad ones and make my life an exciting adventure, this is the way I want it and it certainly won´t be HIV that will avoid me to do it...

Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Valmont on October 06, 2011, 07:59:33 pm
I have not been selected (and it is better that way) because of money matters.......  Nothing to see with HIV !
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Since2005 on October 07, 2011, 12:07:38 am
I am sorry you did not get the job that you wanted but at least you have showed that you have the courage to go after things regardless you have HIV or not! With that attitude, I am sure and hope that you will land a job in somewhere even better. Best luck!
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: mecch on October 07, 2011, 07:02:07 am
I am sorry you did not get the job that you wanted but at least you have showed that you have the courage to go after things regardless you have HIV or not! With that attitude, I am sure and hope that you will land a job in somewhere even better. Best luck!

Ditto.  Bravo for you.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Since2005 on October 08, 2011, 12:00:15 am
Ditto.  Bravo for you.

Lol.. I am blushing.. for taking the credit for wrong reason. As much as I say things here how much can I really put into real works? But again, at least I am able to say that. I could see that as a start for me.  

Well, about the job. I have found one and I am happy about that. It is temp but its more of a career for me. I have few other good news that I would like to share with the forum later, in fact very good news.. More to come later may be in a different thread. Just say that, things have started to look better for me after all the clouds that were hanging on my head all these time!

Sorry Valmont, did not want to steal your thread and thunder  :) Again, keep us posted too once you find the job you like , be it not in Oman. Honestly, I don't think you have missed much. Good luck with your venture also.
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: mecch on October 08, 2011, 05:32:07 am
The bravo was for Valmont. 
But ok bravo to you too, Since!  ;D
Title: Re: OMAN and HIV
Post by: Since2005 on October 08, 2011, 05:17:18 pm
Opps! Missed the shot! Meech, thanks for pulling me back! :)

For Middle East, in the fact and despite legislation ask for them, do they really check the HIV test for visa?
That is the worst region to go to if you have HIV to say the least (In my opinion)