KATHMANDU, May 16: Nepali citizens who have traveled abroad on various visas for foreign employment can now obtain a 'Legitimization Work Permit' from the Nepali embassy of the respective countries.

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) has amended the Foreign Employment Management Service Delivery Procedure 2081 BS. This amendment allows workers who go abroad on other types of visas to receive legitimization work permits after they obtain employment visas in the same country.

Workers who have obtained employment visas can apply to the Nepali diplomatic mission in the respective countries by May 31, 2024, to become eligible for the legitimization work permit.

Many Nepali workers who traveled abroad on visit or study visas without obtaining work permits are currently working in various countries. These workers are not included in the data maintained by the Foreign Employment Office due to the lack of work permits.

The new procedure prepared by the MoLESS simplifies the process for these workers to obtain legitimization labor permits during their foreign employment. Notably, workers no longer need to submit proof of medical examination or pre-departure orientation training when applying for this type of work permit.

Workers can submit an online application for a labor permit, and a legitimized labor permit will be issued by an office or agency authorized by the ministry.

For workers going to Afghanistan, the process will follow the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Government of Nepal dated October 6, 2016. A recommendation letter from the company must be sent to the relevant office or department. However, this arrangement does not apply to countries and professions restricted by the Government of Nepal for foreign employment.

Before submitting the online application for a legitimization work permit, the worker's photograph and fingerprints will be captured in the online system. The worker must apply through the same agency or office where these details were recorded.

Previously, workers needed to return to Nepal to obtain a work permit under the title. This process required proof of mandatory health examination and pre-departure orientation training. These requirements have now been removed.

Furthermore, the requirement for visa certification has been lifted for individuals who initially obtained labor approval from Nepal and later obtained labor approval for another country, and now wish to return to the original country for employment upon receiving a visa.

The new process allows workers to obtain labor approval again based on the labor contract and e-visa for the relevant country, which was not previously possible.

The verification and decision-making responsibilities for individual labor permits have been assigned to computer operators, non-gazetted first-class officials, language translators, section officers, and other officers. They will verify the nature of the visa, issue date, and expiry date, and they will translate documents into Nepali or English and scan fingerprints if biometric data is unavailable.

Previously, labor permits were verified at two levels: document registration by computer operators, non-gazetted first-class officials, and language translators, and work permit verification by section officers.

Additionally, the new procedure states that it is unnecessary to submit a copy of the previous labor permit when requesting for a new one.

The person or organization entering details into the online system will be fully responsible for the authenticity of all information entered.

Legal action will be taken against the organization or person entering incorrect information or documents. If the concerned person or organization forces another to enter details without proper system entry, or if they make an invalid visa valid or change another type of visa to a worker visa illegally, they will face punishment according to the prevailing law.

Published on: 17 May 2024 | My Republica