Use e-migrate if coming for job to Oman, Indian envoy tells expats
The Indian Ambassador also urged all the Indians who are looking for job opportunities in Oman to come through the e-migrate system.
“The e-migrate system was just introduced three years ago. It was to ensure that all the Indians that travel abroad for work opportunities are secure, their jobs are secure, they are aware of the jobs they will have, and they should have legal contracts. And e-migrate tries to ensure this by assembling the requirements of those who want workers from India and matching that with Indians who are seeking job opportunities,” he said.
Training Indians
“It now also involves training Indians in some of the skills they will need before going abroad. It can be accessed online. The registration process is online, where documents can be submitted and then brought to the embassy for attestation,” Pandey added.
“It has been very successful because we have been able to register thousands of Omani employers who now recruit people through the e-migrate system. Absolutely, I would urge all the Indians who are looking for job opportunities in Oman to come through the emigrate system,” he said.
Housemaids
Regarding housemaids, he said: “There are some 22,000 Indian housemaids working in Oman because the people of Oman prefer Indian housemaids. They have been coming through the legal system, while we at the Indian embassy issue a no-objection certificate to ensure that not only are they coming for the right kind of job, but their rights are also protected.”
He added, “But there has been some recruitment of housemaids that is not through the system that we want people to come through. There are instances of housemaids being brought through Oman via Dubai, which is a violation of our visa system and it puts them in a situation where they are not able to defend their rights and we are not able to help them.”
“There is no black market where people are bought and sold as such. There are cases where recruitment agencies promise people that if their housemaid is not working well, she can come back and they can replace her with another one and they will look for another employer for that particular housemaid. Sometimes, that process will expose housemaids to exploitation because they’re vulnerable to exploitation,” he said.
Aadhaar Card
He also clarified there is no need for an Aadhaar Card. “Non-resident Indians are not entitled to have an Aadhaar card, so, whenever any Indian government organisation or public sector organisation asks for an Aadhaar card, I would request our non-resident Indians to inform them, particularly their banks, that they are non-residents and not entitled to have an Aadhaar card. Once they inform the Indian organisations concerned, they will respect the status of our non-resident Indians. So, there will be no need for Aadhaar Cards.”
He also clarified: “Once you inform banks that you are a nonresident Indian, they don’t insist on linking your account with an Aadhaar card.
“Passports, particularly the pages that indicate you have stayed out of India during that year for more than 120 days, qualify you to be a non-resident Indian,” he summed up.