Kathmandu: Nepal on Monday warned its citizens travelling to Gulf countries through India against using fake documents, citing increased detentions by immigration authorities.
Nepali Embassy in India urged the Nepali citizens travelling to foreign countries for employment to obtain labour approval (Labour Permit) and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment or the embassy in New Delhi.
It further mentioned that without obtaining the NOC, travel will not be permitted.
In an advisory issued, the embassy stated that it has come to the attention of the Government of Nepal through concerned authorities in India that the number of people travelling via Indian airports to Gulf countries without obtaining labour approval NOCs from the Department of Foreign Employment has been increasing.
The embassy warned citizens against using forged documents, citing that several Nepali citizens have faced interrogation, detention, and even been barred from flying.
Last year, the Nepal Embassy eased NOC requirements for migrant workers using Indian airports, stating that Nepali citizens holding a valid foreign employment permit issued by the Department of Foreign Employment were not required to obtain a NOC when travelling through Indian airports.
The embassy, in its notice in November, specified that other travellers heading to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Libya, and Lebanon via Indian airports must secure an NOC.
Additionally, those travelling to Russia, except for recipients of scholarships from the Russian government and business visa holders, must obtain an NOC from the embassy or the Department of Consular Services of Nepal.
According to a report in the leading Nepalese daily, The Kathmandu Post, the rapid rise in economic woes and unemployment in Nepal is leading more people to travel to foreign countries in a desperate search for work.
Last year, official figures revealed that more than 300,000 Nepalis have gone abroad, most of them to the Gulf states and Malaysia, on a work visa.
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