KATHMANDU, JANUARY 1

The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) received 30 applications for online renewal of labour permits today — the first day of initiating the service.

DoFE Spokesperson Tikamani Neupane informed that all the applicants were from Dubai and Kuwait and that only four applications were accepted today.

“Some 18 applications were received before the software was launched, so were automatically rejected by the software and two applications have been sent back due to missing documents,” he informed, adding the remaining six applications will likely be approved in the next working day, that is, Sunday.

The department started this service, which can be utilised from any country, to facilitate the migrant workers.

The DoFE has made an arrangement whereby people who are involved in foreign employment after having obtained a labour permit can renew it online. Service-seekers will be able to use selected payment gateways of Foreign Employment Welfare Fund to pay for the labour permit renewal. According to the department, migrants will be able to pay labour permit renewal fees through IME Pay and eSewa. Service-seekers will receive their permit certificate via e-mail.

Kumar Prasad Dahal, director general of the department, said that with the implementation of this service, the obligation to go to the department’s office to get a labour permit time and again will end. Moreover, people will not have to travel all the way to Nepal just to renew their labour permit. The service is time-saving for the migrant workers, he added.

Dahal said the people who have their citizenship certificates and the finger print and biometric details from the department with them can easily apply for the service and continue with their work on the basis of the earlier details.

Meanwhile, the department is discussing the issue of arranging online labour approval by registering biometric details through manpower, medical and orientation institutions for new labour approval as well. The service will soon come into operation in the next few months.

Individuals who have already obtained a labour permit once to go for foreign employment will be able to fill up the online labour permit renewal form on the department’s website.

However, the department has set a two-time limit for seeking online permit renewal service.

According to DoFE, if the limit is not set then workers might never return home.

Until now, many workers have been unable to utilise facilities provided by Foreign Employment Welfare Fund just because they were unable to renew their labour permit on time. The department has said that the online service is also expected to address this issue and such cases will likely drop significantly in the coming days.