Department of Foreign Employment has started cracking down on travel agencies and agents involved in sending workers to foreign countries.

“Some travel agencies and non-registered agents cannot send workers to foreign jobs,” said director general at the department Binod KC.

The department is investigating travel agencies’ involvement in helping workers migrate, he said. 

“We are investigating some travel agencies in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Itahari, Bharatpur, Butwal 

and Nepalgunj to find out their involvement,” he said, adding that the department will take action against them once they find some clue.

Involvement of travel agencies in migration of workers have revealed some four years ago but the department has started investigating on them since last year. 

The department has raided over a dozen travel agencies in Itahari, Butwal and Pokhara as they were found to be operating as a contact hub of registered outsourcing agencies. The department has confiscated over 27 passports during the raid too, KC added.

Undocumented or unauthorised migration is a major problem in the outsourcing sector. About 300 Nepalis including 60 to 70 women have been reaching Gulf countries every day through illegal channels. About 3.5 million Nepalis are estimated to be working in foreign countries but just 2.5 million have migrated through legal channel.

The department had raided three travel agencies — Best Friendship, Air Himal and King Akabar — and confiscated 29 visas issued for domestic workers in Iraq and 20 visas for housemaids in Kuwait.

According to the Foreign Employment Act 2007, unauthorised agents sending workers in foreign jobs would be fined up to Rs 500,000 and could be imprisoned from three to seven years.

Similarly, the department has also planned to crack down on illegal agents across the country. About 1,000 to 1,200 agents are believed to be working across the country but just 270 are registered in the department. 

“People should support the department by giving information about the unregistered agents,” he added.

Published on: 15 April 2013 | The Himalayan Times