In view of rising cases of job seekers being duped by illegal and unregistered recruitment agents offering fake offers and overcharging fees, the Ministry of External Affairs has urged those looking for employment outside India to use the safe and legal services of registered Recruiting Agents (RA) only. MEA has cautioned that going abroad through unregistered channels “involves serious risk of being defrauded of money, not landing in the promised job and difficult living conditions abroad,” which amount to human trafficking.
The Ministry has informed that all registered RAs display their license numbers in their office premises and in their advertisements, including newspaper and social media. Job seekers cab crosscheck the authenticity of the agents on www.emigrate.gov.in, it said. The Advisory also mentioned that as per the Emigration Act 1983, no recruitment agency shall collect from the prospective emigrant the service charges more than Rs 30,000 + GST (18%), in respect of services provided by it to that emigrant and the recruiting agent shall issue a receipt to the emigrant for the amount collected by it in this regard.
The Ministry said that unregistered recruitment agents overcharge up to Rs 5 lakh. It highlighted that many illegal agents operate through Facebook, WhatsApp, text message and other such mediums, provide little or no details of their whereabouts and contacts and usually communicate only through WhatsApp, making it difficult to ascertain the location and identity of the caller and genuineness of the job offer.
Such unregistered recruitment agents also lure workers to work in difficult and life threatening conditions as has been reported in several East European Countries, some of the Gulf countries, Central Asian countries, Israel, Canada, Myanmar and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, MEA stated.
A valid job offers come along with Employment Contract duly signed by Foreign Employer, recruitment Agent and the emigrant worker, the Ministry said, further informing that the Employment Contract must mention term and conditions of the job being offered and the salary and other emoluments. Valid job offers must allow the worker to emigrate on strength of Employment or Work visa or other similar visa except tourist visa. It may be noted that tourist visa should only be used for the purpose of tourism. Normally, reputed Foreign Employers provide for cost of airfare, boarding & lodging and insurance cover, MEA informed.
Government of India makes it mandatory for registered recruitment agents to purchase Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) for the migrant workers which provides various benefits including Rs 10 Lakh sum assured on death cases and work related injury and medical expenses with one time premium (Rs 275 for the cover of two years and Rs 375 for the cover of three years), the ministry apprised.
The Ministry of External Affairs also urged emigrant workers to attend the Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) Centers or the Community Welfare Wing of the concerned Indian Embassy in the destination country to make themselves aware of the local conditions of the foreign country.
