This means the ceiling of Rs. 80,000 for Malaysia and Rs. 70,000 for Gulf countries has been automatically scrapped. Now the recruiting agencies can take service charge just up to Rs. 10,000 from aspirant migrant workers. That too, only if the amount is not released by the employers from the destination countries.
The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) didn't issue work permit to seven destination countries, including Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Malaysia which fail to submit attested document of free visa and free ticket to the aspirant migrant workers.
The government on 12 June announced free visa and free ticket to all migrant workers aspiring to work in those seven countries."We didn't issue any work permit to seven countries on Monday as per the directive issued by the ministry," informed Tika Bhandari, director at Qatar branch under the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).
He informed that their department has requested the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) to clear about the demands that already got pre-permit till yesterday as recruiting agencies have been demanding not to incorporate such demands under the new decision.
According to the foreign employment act of Nepal, the recruiting agencies can send Nepalis to work in Malaysia up to three years and in Gulf countries up to two years from the date of issuance of pre-work permit of the demands from the government.
Newly-elected President of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), the umbrella organization of manpower agencies, Bimal Dhakal said that the government should impose free-visa-free-ticket only after discussion with recruiting agencies.
"We are not against the decision of providing free visa and free ticket to the aspirant migrant workers but the government shouldn't take a move that will shut down the business of all recruiting agencies," said Dhakal.
He even added that the government should make South Korea free of cost first if it wants to ensure that all aspirant migrant workers fly destination countries without any cost.
On the other hand, the MoLE has even said that it will scrap the license of those recruiting agencies who fail to abide by the decision of the government.
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