Krishna Bahadur Rai sweats profusely as he stood in queue under the hot sun. He tried to protect his face from the blistering heat of Tuesday with his hand above his forehead.

He was at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), Tahachal, to get his work permit renewed for Dubai and seemed all at sea as he spoke about his situation.

He prefers to stay in Nepal but finds meager earning prospects in the country discouraging.
His family home in Mahadevsthan VDC in Kavre got destroyed in the catastrophic earthquake of April 25 and his family now lives under a tent in the open.

"Going overseas at this crucial hour is not a choice but a compulsion," Rai said, adding, "I come from a very poor family and I have the responsibility to rebuild the house, educate my daughters, and feed my whole family."

Rai, 26, who has been working at Qurum Business Group (QBG) in Qatar for the last two years, came to Nepal for two months after his only house collapsed and some of the members of his extended family died during the earthquake. He earns a monthly salary of Rs 32,000 and manages to save around Rs 25,000.

Prior to going to Qatar, he worked at a company in Malaysia.

"I tried to work as a farmer in Nepal before choosing foreign employment. But my future in this country seemed uncertain," said he. He said he needs to go overseas at any cost to overcome the financial losses resulting from the earthquake.

Similarly, Suraj Tamang, 24, was another Dubai-returnee migrant worker at DoFE seeking to renew his work permit. His house in Sindhupalchowk collapsed during the quake and his family members now reside in makeshift shelters.

"Although my company in Dubai may provide additional leave if I wish to stay in Nepal, but I have to work to help my family financially," said Tamang.

Hundreds of migrant workers are queuing up at DoFE either to get new work permit or renew expired or existing ones. The number of migrant workers, who had come to Nepal after the earthquake, are renewing their work permit has surged heavily.

According to DoFE data, 15,237 migrant workers had renewed their work permits in January, 17,008 in February, 21,912 in March and 15,488 in April. In the month of May, 22,192 people renewed their work permits mainly for Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

On the other hand, migration experts blame this trend on the failure of the government to come up with long-term employment plan. They even warned of delays in reconstructing the nation if youths continue to leave the country for foreign shores.

"Nepalese people are feeling the need to earn more money because the devastating earthquake destroyed their homes. As the government can't assure financial assistance promptly, they see foreign employment as the only option for financial stability," said migration expert Ganesh Gurung.

Published on: 4 June 2015 | Republica