Nepalis jetting off to foreign countries en masse in search of better opportunities is not a new phenomenon. Given the lack of good jobs, an unfavourable work environment and prolonged political instability, their numbers have only increased in recent years. According to the Department of Foreign Employment, more than 741,000 Nepalis left for foreign jobs in the fiscal year 2023-24 alone. In the first eight months of this fiscal year (from mid-July to mid-March), over 530,000 people did. Now, foreign employment has become so lucrative that illegal channels have mushroomed, leading many Nepali workers to work unlawfully in Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE as well as some Southeast Asian countries.

Studies show many Nepali migrants, instead of using legal and formal recruitment agencies, turn to individual agents and informal channels, who often scam and exploit them. These agents offer poor and desperate people false hope of a better life and job in foreign countries through expedited visa processing and hassle-free documentation. Recently, a scam has surfaced involving tourist visas, where many Nepali workers are recruited on legitimate working visas and formal labour contracts, only to later find themselves stranded as undocumented workers. Unscrupulous agents also swindle from them hundreds of thousands of rupees.

Workers often face dire conditions abroad, including exploitation and sexual abuse. However, they cannot seek redress, compensation, insurance, or even rescue due to their illegal status. For instance, from the hill district of Baglung, seven workers who migrated abroad for jobs through illegal routes have died in this fiscal year alone. Of 138 workers from the district who experienced various forms of hardship, only 58 were rescued. Yet bringing the undocumented back home was not easy. In the previous fiscal year, 17 workers from the same district died overseas. Unfortunately, migrant workers from other districts who bypass legal channels face a similar fate.

Yet there seems to be neither the political will, strong implementation of migration laws, or enough public awareness to stop illegal migration. Additionally, there are no compelling efforts to create opportunities at home. The onus of protecting and retaining workers falls on the state, but the recent ‘visit-visa scam’ suggests, authorities are in fact complicit in this inhumane deed. Illegal recruiters, often backed up by those in power, escape punishment. Such incidents not only set a dangerous precedent but also erode the trust of many Nepalis in the state, further emboldening illegal recruitment. More focus is also needed to protect migrant workers’ rights and well-being in host countries.

Nepal’s economy relies heavily on the remittances sent home by its migrant workers. In the first seven months of this fiscal year, the country received Rs900.58 billion, a 7.3 percent increase compared to the same time of the past fiscal year. If the state can simplify visa and document processing through legal and official channels and initiate mass awareness campaigns, it could generate even more revenue from remittances. Again, one sure way out of this crisis is for the state to create enough jobs at home. Yet, irrespective of the state of our economy or the number of jobs created, the lure of going abroad will always be there. Most of the problems Nepali workers face abroad can be resolved just by making them go through formal channels.