The Department of Foreign Employment has reopened labour permits for 12 countries, including key labour destinations in the Gulf region, following a temporary suspension earlier this year.

According to the department, institutional and individual labour approvals for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel have been opened from Monday. The service had been suspended on March 1.

The decision followed a recommendation from the Emergency Response Team (ERT), a high-level mechanism under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for coordinating the safety of Nepali nationals abroad. The ERT urged the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security to resume new labour approvals after assessing the status of disruptions caused by escalating tensions linked to the US–Iran conflict in West Asia.

Based on the recommendation, the ministry approved the reopening at the ministerial level, allowing the processing of new labour permits to resume for affected destinations.