I/NGOs offering jobs to tourists face action

KATHMANDU, July 22

The government has decided to take action against national and international non-governmental organisations that illegally offer jobs to foreigners entering here on a tourist visa.

A circular has been sent to the concerned ministries to recommend an immediate action against organisations working in the social and development sector after monitoring their activities whether they employed tourists without receiving work permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs, a high-level government official told THT.

According to chief of the National Emergency Operation Centre Baburam Bhandari, a joint meeting of MoHA, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others, has decided to monitor the activities of the organisations and tourists through the concerned line ministries. The meeting also decided to collect information on the third country nationals working with any organisation in the country.

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“Several complaints have been received from different channels that some of I/NGOs and charitable organisations have illegally offered jobs to third-country nationals who entered Nepal by obtaining tourist visa, not exceeding to 150 days in a visa year, after April 25 temblor,” MoHA’s under-secretary told this daily. The immigration law bars visiting tourists from working in the country unless they changed their visa status and obtained MoHA’s approval to work.

MoHA allowed nearly 3,000 foreigners to work in different sectors in the last fiscal year, while the Consular Services Department under MoFA provided 1,715 foreigners with official visa;  664 others were given gratis visa to work in different agencies and organisations.