All Indian expatriates working in 18 countries must register online before travelling
Mangalore Today News Network
From January 1, those with job visas in 18 countries must sign up on emigrate portal. Indian workers who fail to register online will be barred from boarding flights to UAE and 17 other countries from January 1.
* Registration must be completed on the www.emigrate.gov.in portal between 21 days and 24 hours prior to the date of travel.
* Applicants have to furnish personal, visa and travel details, emergency contact details in India and destination country and contact details of foreign employer/sponsor in the destination country.
* On successful completion of registration, the applicant will receive an SMS/email.
* They need to re-register only if their work visa has changed when they visit India again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dubai, Nov 21: The Indian government’s new online registration will be applicable to all Indians working in the UAE and 17 other notified countries from January 1, 2019, Gulf News can reveal. Those who fail to do so will not be allowed to board their flights to these countries.
On Tuesday, Gulf News reported that India made online registration mandatory for all Indians holding non-emigration clearance required (Non-ECR or ECNR) passports who have employment visas to 18 notified countries, including the UAE. Now, Indians already working in these countries also have to register when they visit their home country, a senior official confirmed.
Speaking over phone from New Delhi, M.C. Luther, joint secretary for overseas employment and protector general of emigrants, clarified that only one-time registration is required as long as an Indian remains on the same company’s employment visa. It is not necessary to register every time one goes back home unless there is a change in visa.
Registration must be completed on the eMigrate portal between 21 days and 24 hours prior to the date of travel.
Those who fail to do so will be offloaded, according to a recent advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) passport holders who change their passport status to ECNR after three years of overseas employment will also have to complete the ECNR registration.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Luther said: “It is to obtain details such as who the employer is, their contact and address details and who we can reach in case of an emergency. The idea is to be able to reach them [applicants or their emergency contact] in India and abroad if there is a need for assistance.”
Equating the ECNR registration form to the departure card issued by the Bureau of Immigration, which was discontinued in July 2017, Luther said this new move is a “completely non-intrusive form to respect the privacy of individuals and their employers”.
He stressed that the registration will not be used to tackle cases of bogus job offers or contract substitution. In such cases, workers have to use existing methods of grievance redressal. However, officials can check recruitment done through approved agents since the latter also have to provide these details on the same portal.
Luther pointed out that about 40,000 ECNR passport-holders have voluntarily registered after approved recruitment agents were intimated about the pilot phase.
Key points
All Indians holding ECNR passports with overseas employment visa should register on https://emigrate.gov.in/ext/preECNREmig.action before flying out of India.
Registration is mandatory for Indians taking up jobs in 18 notified countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, UAE and Yemen.
Those already working on employment visas in these countries will have to register when they visit India and fly back again.
They need to re-register only if their work visa has changed.
Details to be furnished include personal, visa and travel details, emergency contact details in India and destination country and contact details of foreign employer/sponsor in the destination country.
On successful completion of registration, the applicant will receive an SMS/email.
From January 1, 2019, failure to register will result in applicant getting offloaded.
All Indians must register online before flying to UAE for work
Dubai, Nov 19: Starting January 1, 2019, all Indians flying to the UAE on employment visa must pre-register with an Indian government recruitment portal, failing which they will be offloaded.
India has made online registration mandatory for all Indians not requiring emigration checks going for overseas employment to 18 notified countries including the UAE.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued an advisory announcing the mandatory registration of Non-Emigration Check Required (Non-ECR or ECNR) passport holding Indians through the website www.emigrate.gov.in to provide protection and welfare to the Indian emigrants abroad.
“The said registration of Non-ECR passport holders will be mandatory and required to be completed at least 24 hours prior to the actual departure,” the advisory posted on the recruitment portal stated.
“Starting 01.01.2019, no Indian emigrant holding Non-ECR passport would be allowed to go to these 18 ECR countries for employment without prior registration in eMigrate, as a measure of extending protection and ensuring their welfare overseas.”
“Off-loading of unregistered non-ECR emigrants at the airports would be effected by the appropriate authority after January 1, 2019,” it said.
The online recruitment portal was established to ensure protection and welfare of the ECR (emigration clearance required) passport holders who are uneducated and unskilled.
Such Indian citizens require an emigration clearance from the office of the Protector of Emigrants to seek employment in foreign countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, UAE and Yemen.
The recruitment procedure through the eMigrate portal has been in place for ECR category since 2015 to protect them against human trafficking, illegal recruitment and exploitation.
The protection ensured through the eMigrate portal for this category of workers has now been extended to ECNR (emigration clearance not required) passport holders as well.
More than a dozen categories of Indian citizens automatically qualify for ECNR status, including income-tax payers, those below 18 years and above the age of 50, and those with an educational qualification of matriculation and above.
The ministry has now urged all Indians travelling to these 18 countries on employment visas, irrespective of their educational and employment background, to register online with immediate effect.
Registration can be done by visiting the ECNR Registration section on the website www.emigrate.gov.in
On successful completion of online registration, the applicant would receive a confirmatory SMS/ email. This confirmation will have to be shown at the airport from where the applicant boards the flight.
Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul said the ministry’s move is another step from the Indian government to ensure the welfare and proper working conditions of all Indian workers going abroad, especially those who are susceptible and going overseas for the first time.
“A lot of people, even in the ECNR category do not have the experience of working abroad. This will help them,” he told Gulf News.
Reports of Indians falling victims to bogus job offers also could have been a reason for the introduction of the new rule, he observed.
“There have been many cases where people are getting cheated with bogus job offers. There have been cases targeting professionals, teachers, doctors and others. Recently, we dealt with at least two or three cases related to a particular hospital in Al Ain,” Vipul said, pointing out that the new move will help prevent educated job aspirants from falling for fake job offers.
Job seekers having queries and seeking clarifications can contact Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) in India on toll free number 1800113090 or 01140503090 (charges apply) or by email at mailto:helpline@mea.gov.in , the ministry’s advisory added.
Courtesy: gulfnews