Indians With Non-ECR Passports Taking Up Jobs in 18 Countries Will Have to Register Online

By Little India Desk | November 20, 2018

Indians will need to register on the recruitment portal of the Indian government before leaving for employment to 18 countries, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

The government has issued an advisory on Nov.14 for all Indians having Non-Emigration Check Required (NON-ECR) passports, stating that a prior online registration will be mandatory for them to go to 18 countries on an employment visa. They will have to register on emigrate.gov.in website.

Online registration system e-Migrate was launched in 2015 to help foreign employers in hiring Indian workers. Indians, who possess Indian passport with ECR stamp, need to get their employment offers cleared through this system, reported Khaleej Times.

The countries, for which Indians traveling on employment visa will need this registration are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, UAE, and Yemen.

The Consulate General of India in Jeddah tweeted the copy of the advisory issued by Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Please note all Indians having ECNR passports are required to register online from January 1, 2019  while going for employment to 18 countries as mentioned in the letter attached. pic.twitter.com/azob9PWpQw

— India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) November 16, 2018

According to the advisory, “Registration of Non-ECR passport holders will be mandatory and required to be completed at least 24-hours prior to actual departure.”

This rule will be enforced from Jan.1, 2019, says the advisory. It adds that this measure is for extending protection to these workers and ensuring their welfare abroad.

It says that no Indian, with Non-ECR passport, will be allowed to leave for these 18 countries without prior registration on the e-Migrate portal. Non-ECR passport who have not registered with the portal will be offloaded by the authorities after Jan.1 next year. However, other visa categories are not affected by this rule.

Khaleej Times quoted Navdeep Singh Suri, the Indian Ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates as saying, “This is an additional measure by the government to provide protection to Indian nationals seeking employment in UAE. We have seen that not all blue collar workers are in the ECR category. Some have higher educational qualifications but don’t get included in the e-migrate system. This amendment will help them.”

Vipul, the Consul General of India in Dubai told Gulf News that this rule will ensure proper working conditions for Indian workers overseas. He said that it will be very helpful for the first timers.

“A lot of people, even in the ECNR category do not have the experience of working abroad. This will help them,” Vipul was quoted by publication. He also said that this move will also prevent the educated Indians from getting trapped in fake job offers.