Nepal Scraps Token System for Overseas Employment Permits, Approves Same-Day Issuance

Kathmandu. The government has decided to abolish the token system for labor permits for foreign employment and will now issue permits on the same day an application is submitted.

Previously, permits were issued only on a designated day after obtaining a token. The Ministry stated that the decision to issue labor permits smoothly was made during a meeting held in the presence of Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Deepak Kumar Sah, on Sunday.

Audio-visual materials based on the pre-departure orientation training curriculum will be produced and made available digitally. It has also been announced that the orientation training will be entirely based on an online system. The Ministry announced plans to launch a campaign to enroll all workers in the Contribution-based Social Security Fund and ensure the full implementation of minimum wages for workers.

The meeting also decided to internalize the Shramadhan (Labor Solution) plan, further systematize and enhance the effectiveness of the Shramadhan Call Center, promote occupational health and safety by conducting risk assessments in industrial establishments, create domestic employment by promoting production and entrepreneurship, and expand bilateral labor agreements with five more countries.

The Ministry mentioned that the meeting discussed the one hundred agendas related to governance reforms approved by the Council of Ministers meeting on Chaitra 13. During the discussion, Minister Sah directed subordinate staff to immediately prepare and implement an action plan on relevant issues listed in the government-approved agenda to systematize, dignify, and secure the labor and employment sector, and to protect the rights and welfare of workers.

Discussions were also held on studying the security, minimum wage assurance, workplace safety, working environment, and health safety conditions of Nepalis working abroad to establish minimum standards for foreign employment, and on providing skills development training to facilitate employment creation.

Furthermore, the Ministry has put forward plans to prepare for conducting skill fairs in collaboration with the private sector in all provinces, promote domestic employment, make service delivery beneficiary-friendly, and take effective measures to control fraud occurring in the name of foreign employment.