A mandatory skills certification programme introduced by Saudi Arabia for Nepali workers, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, has been suspended after protests by foreign employment recruiters in Kathmandu.

The Industrial Training Institute Nepal Pvt Ltd, which was set to operate the Skills Verification Programme (SVP) centre in Basundhara, put up a notice on its premises announcing the suspension. However, there has been no official statement from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Kathmandu confirming the decision.

Recruiters had gathered outside the training institute on Wednesday, accusing the programme of creating a monopoly and attempting to collect additional fees from workers under the guise of certification. Following the protest, which involved more than 200 recruitment agency representatives, the planned inauguration of the centre did not go ahead and diplomatic officials from the embassy did not attend the event.

Protesters also tore down a board that read “Skills Certification Programme”.

Under the proposed system, Nepali workers would have been required to pay an additional Rs15,000 for certification, including $50 for a skills test and $50 for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment.

Saudi authorities had said workers without a valid skills certification would not be issued work visas.

The programme was expected to cover five categories of workers, including loading and unloading labourers, porters, handcart operators and construction-related jobs. However, specific roles under the construction category had not been clearly defined.

Recruiters said the scheme was introduced unilaterally without coordination with the Nepali government and violated the spirit of the labour agreement between Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

Hari Bahadur Pandey, chairperson of the Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs’ Unity Committee, said the certification system amounted to an attempt to extract money from workers.

“There is an attempt to create a syndicate through this process. We cannot accept it,” Pandey said.

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security has not issued an official position on the matter. Officials said internal discussions were ongoing.

The dispute comes despite a labour agreement signed between Nepal and Saudi Arabia on January 25, which states that recruitment-related procedures for Nepali workers should be determined through a joint technical committee. No bilateral agreement has been reached on the certification programme.

Representatives of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies also met officials at the ministry of labour on Wednesday to raise concerns, but did not meet the minister.

Association president Dik Bahadur Khatri ‘Kumar’ said the requirement would increase costs for workers and complicate the recruitment process.

He said the certification process would add financial and procedural burdens for Nepali workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia.

The new rule has drawn criticism from labour officials and recruitment agencies, who say it could raise the overall cost of migration.

Saudi Arabia remains one of the largest destinations for Nepali migrant workers.

Officials in Riyadh have said the certification system is aimed at improving occupational standards and verifying workers’ skills. They have also indicated that applicants must register through an online portal, pay fees electronically, select approved testing centres and take a three-hour examination, with results expected within a week.