Free Visa Free Ticket Policy Fails to Implement Effectively, Government Labels It a ‘Policy Trap’
Kathmandu, June 23 – The free visa free ticket policy was introduced in 2015 with the aim of reducing the financial burden on Nepali migrant workers going abroad for employment. The then Labor Minister Tek Bahadur Gurung set the service charge that manpower agencies could collect from workers at NPR 10,000 under this policy. It was implemented on June 9, 2015, targeting workers traveling to key destination countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, and Malaysia. However, nearly a decade later, the policy has yet to be effectively enforced. The government has labeled it a ‘policy trap.’
Youth, Labor, and Employment Minister Ramji Yadav referred to the policy as a ‘policy trap’ during the House of Representatives session on June 19. He also announced the formation of a high-level task force aimed at making the free visa free ticket policy more practical and effective.
Before the policy’s implementation, fixed fees were charged for workers traveling to Malaysia and Gulf countries. After 2015, manpower agencies were only supposed to charge NPR 10,000 as a service fee from each worker. However, manpower agencies protested against the policy for 17 days. Despite this, the government remained firm and did not retract the policy. Currently, there are four main methods through which migrant workers go abroad: employer-pay model, payment of visa and ticket fees per labor contract, payment of either visa or ticket fees, or workers independently purchasing their tickets.
Due to the government’s inability to effectively promote the free visa free ticket and ethical recruitment processes, workers are often compelled to pay high fees. According to the Ministry of Labor, currently only about 5 percent of migrant workers go abroad under the free visa free ticket scheme. Labor expert Rameshwar Nepal explained that it is not accurate to call the policy a failure; rather, its implementation has been weak. He stated, ‘Although the government has stipulated in labor contracts that employers should bear the expenses, effective implementation has not been achieved.’