KATHMANDU, JULY 2

The government has decided to issue re-entry labour permit for people wanting to go abroad for foreign employment from today.

With this decision, migrant workers who had come home from various foreign destinations before the lockdown was imposed by the government to control the coronavirus outbreak will now be able to go back for employment.

Kumar Dahal, director general of Department of Foreign Employment, said that the re-entry labour permit for foreign employment, which had been suspended for the past four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been reopened.

“We have received a letter from Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) to issue re-entry labour permit to those who come to the office from today,” he said, adding, the permits will be provided for all the countries where foreign employment has been opened. However, Dahal said new labour approvals will not be available for the moment and a decision on that will be taken soon.

Concerned labour offices in Kathmandu began issuing re-entry permits from today itself whereas those outside the valley will resume the service from Sunday, he informed. “Needful social distancing and other safety measures prescribed by the government will be implemented while distributing the permits,” he informed.

Though the permits can be acquired now, regular flights are still suspended till July 22. Dahal, however, mentioned that the workers facing an emergency situation can get approval to fly back to their labour destinations on repatriation flights.

The COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre had allowed the MoLESS to issue re-entry permits on June 21.

Following the directive from High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of COV- ID-19, the department had indefinitely suspended acceptance of applications for labour permits for foreign employment from March 12.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 3, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.