Ministry of External Affairs advisory for those seeking to migrate to ECR countries
Anyone taking the services of illegal agents to ECR countries may face problems such as non-payment of salary, not being provided promised jobs, physical and mental torture, and sometimes sexual harassment, the Ministry said in a release. ECR countries include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has advised those seeking to migrate to ECR (emigration check required) countries to only take the services of recruitment agents registered with the Protector General of Emigrants.
Anyone taking the services of illegal agents to ECR countries may face problems such as non-payment of salary, not being provided promised jobs, physical and mental torture, and sometimes sexual harassment, the Ministry said in a release.
ECR countries include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The Ministry further said that eMigrate, a portal through which recruitment of ECR passport holders going to ECR countries is regulated, has been launched. The portal ensures that no one is cheated by illegal agents through exorbitant charges and fake job promises.
Emigrate portal works through registered recruitment agents and registered foreign employers.
It also issued a warning to unregistered agencies to not indulge in activities i.e. recruitment of ECR passport holders for ECR category countries. Such activities are in violation of Emigration Act 1983 and amount to human trafficking, which is a punishable criminal offense, the MEA release stated.