Team Herald
MARGAO: All Non-Emigration Check Required (NECR) passport holding Indian emigrants will have to register online while travelling to 18 countries on an employment visa, according to a new circular issued by Ministry of External Affairs.
The names of the notified countries are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, UAE and Yemen.
Starting from January 1, 2019, no Indian emigrant holding Non-ECR passport will be allowed to go to these countries for employment without prior registration in eMigrate (emigrate.gov.in) as a measure of extending protection and ensuring their welfare overseas.
The registration has to be done within 21 days to at least 24 hours prior to departure. The circular was issued on November 14. The circular stated that offloading of unregistered Non-ECR emigrants at the airport would be effected by the appropriate authorities after January 1, 2019.
A MEA official, when contacted, said that every Indian working in the 18 countries, including people who are already working in the countries, will have to register when they leave India. The circular does not apply to tourist visa holders, dependents and student visa holders. He said that any emigrant who does not register won’t be allowed to board the aircraft.
In order to register, the applicant has to enter his personal details, visa details, emergency contact details of persons in India as well as the destination country and the contact details of the foreign employer/sponsor in the destination country.
Currently, there are more than four lakh emigrants registered with MoEF. While many believe this will help track Indians, particularly those who are abused by their employers, others say that MoEF may soon start collecting money in the name of welfare, similar to the 10 dollars collected from seafarers.
