Saudi Arabia – the third largest job market – had already stopped issuing working visa from November for handwritten passports. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is planning to implement the Saudi Arabian model in other member countries too.

 

“The GCC is working to implement Machine Readable Passport (MRP) for job aspirants in all the member countries from next year,” said general secretary of Nepal Foreign Employment Association Kumud Khanal. “Nepali workers will lose the job market, if they implement mandatory MRP from early next year.” Top hiring countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) along with Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are the members of GCC, a political and economic network of countries in Persian Gulf. The countries had hired around 250,000 Nepali workers last year. 

 

Shortage of MRP holder workers could emerge as a problem, if the GCC takes decision to reject handwritten passport. “Around 20,000 Nepali migrant workers get MRP in a month while the current demand of Nepali workers is over 40,000,” he said. Saudi Arabia’s decision to reject handwritten passport has been affecting foreign employment sector from a couple of months. Saudi demands have been diverted towards Bangladesh as we could not supply workers on time due to delay in MRP. 

 

However, the government is not serious on the issue. “Saudi Arabia is not issuing work visa in handwritten passports but we have no idea about GCC plan,” said a senior officer at the Ministry of Foreign Employment.

111 Nepali women migrant in jail

 

KATHMANDU: About 111 Nepali women migrant workers are in prisons of Gulf countries and Lebanon since last two years. The prisoners are victim of their abusive employers and wanted to escape, said South Asia coordinator of UN Women Saru Joshi. According to her, The jailbirds are fighting legal battle in Gulf countries to escape from the prisons.