All Indians working in UAE must register
FROM JANUARY 1, THOSE WITH JOB VISAS IN 18 COUNTRIES MUST SIGN UP ON EMIGRATE PORTAL
Indians working in the UAE will have to register online with a recruitment portal of the Indian government, failing which they will be offloaded when flying back from January 1, Gulf News can reveal.
The recently-announced online registration for Indians holding Emigration Clearance Not Required (ECNR) passports and travelling on employment visas to 18 countries, including the UAE, will be applicable to those Indians already working in those countries as well, India’s top immigration official confirmed yesterday.
M.C. Luther, Joint Secretary for Overseas Employment and Protector General of Emigrants, who signed the recent advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, said the new rule is applicable to all Indians working in those specific countries including the UAE. “They also have to register when they visit India and flying back on their work visa,” he said over the phone from New Delhi.
Only one-time registration on the www.emigrate.gov.in portal is required as long as an Indian remains on the same employment visa. He or she needs to re-register only if their work visa has changed when they visit India again, Luther clarified.
He stressed that the registration will not be used to tackle cases of bogus job offers or contract substitution. 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.”
The Indian government’s new online registration drive will be applicable to all Indians working in the UAE and 17 other notified countries from January 1, 2019, Gulf News can reveal, and those who fail to do so face the risk of being barred from boarding flights to these countries.
On Tuesday, Gulf News reported that India had 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 are also required to register when they visit their home country, a senior official confirmed.
Speaking by phone from New Delhi, M.C. Luther, India’s joint secretary for overseas employment and protector general of emigrants, said registration was a one-time event, 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.
Time frame
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 barred from boarding, 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.