Kathmandu: In the last fiscal year, a staggering 839,000 individuals received labour permits for foreign employment. The Department of Foreign Employment disclosed this information during a news conference held on Friday. Director General Kamal Prasad Bhattarai revealed that out of the total permits issued, 744,000 were granted to males, with the remainder issued to females.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Bhattarai noted that 60 percent of the issued permits were for new applicants, while 39 percent were for those renewing their permits for the second or third time. The most popular destinations for Nepali workers include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Romania, Japan, South Korea, and Bahrain. Additional countries where Nepalis seek employment are Malta, Serbia, Mauritius, Japan, Croatia, and the Maldives.
Over the past five years, more than 3.5 million Nepalis have obtained permits for foreign employment, with 3.1 million of these being male. The number of companies facilitating foreign employment has reached 1,687, although only 724 are currently accredited by the Department for active service. Furthermore, 212 companies completed their renewal by the end of the last fiscal year.
Director General Bhattarai highlighted the efficiency of the permit issuance process, stating that permits are granted on the same day of application due to digitalization. He emphasized that in the past one and a half months, permits were issued within two minutes of application submission. Bhattarai added that efforts to manage 36,000 documents under the investigation and complaints section are progressing, with two-thirds of the plan already accomplished to enhance service delivery.
Efforts have been made to strengthen the monitoring system to regulate the health checkups of foreign job aspirants. A technical study is also underway to upgrade the foreign employment information system, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process for all stakeholders involved.