Reports suggest they are, but government authorities say they are not aware

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 10

Following the release of a circular by the government of Qatar last year, many migrant workers, including those from Nepal and India, have been forced to return to their home countries before the start of the World Cup, as per reports.

However, Nepali authorities say that they have not received any complaints and are unaware of anyone being sent home before their contract ended.

A recent article by The Guardian states that many migrant workers, who had expected to be in Qatar for two years, were sent home far sooner - in some cases after just 10 months. Others say they were being sent home but had been told they might be recalled after the World Cup. Many want to stay and keep working as they fear losing jobs and confronting lenders back home, it said.

"We don't want to go back.

We're poor so we need to work," a Nepali worker has been quoted as saying in the article. The worker, as per the report, had been forced to pay illegal recruitment fees to secure the job. "I have not yet paid back the fees. I will be at a loss if I'm sent back."

However, Thaneshwar Bhusal, assistant spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security, said the ministry was unaware of any Nepali being forced to go home, adding that reports might be false.

"During our last visit to Qatar, officials said there was no policy to send workers home.

However, the Qatar government has added restrictions to control the flow of people entering Qatar, apart from work-related activities, in view of the World Cup," he said.

According to The Guardian, contractors were directed to complete all works by mid-September and prepare a plan for workers' leave that maximises reduction in the number of workers in the country without impacting migrant workers' well-being as highlighted in the circular 'PWA Strategic Management Plan during World Cup 2022'.

Most of the affected workers appear to have been hired on short-term 'project visas', but say they were told they would be employed for at least two years. Letters from InfraRoad offering workers jobs in August 2021 - after the government circular was published - appear to back this up, as per The Guardian.

Letters promise annual leave and a return air ticket after two years. They require a twomonth notice period after two or more years of service, the report states.

Bhusal reasoned that Qatari companies might have put the renewal of contracts on hold as per the circular, which could have resulted in Nepalis returning home. "We are ready to hold talks with our counterparts if anyone has been sent back to Nepal by force before the end of their contract," he added.

Yet, research by migrant-rights.org uncovered similar cases among workers recently sent back to Nepal by a number of Qatar's biggest construction companies.

Some workers even said they had not received their full salaries, overtime pay, or end-ofservice benefits. Others said they had been sent home before the end of their contracts.

Despite the reports, Nepali authorities seem unaware of any Nepali being forced to leave their work destination.

Grievance Officer at Mo- LESS Bishnu Lamichhane said he had not heard of any Nepali migrant worker being forced to return before their contract ended or without their full pay. The Department of Foreign Employment also had a similar response.

"Many Nepalis are returning from the Gulf countries to head to Malaysia, considering better working conditions and pay. This could be attributed to a large number of Nepalis coming back home.

Alongside the arrival of many Nepali migrant workers over the past few months, the rate of departure has also increased," Lamichhane said.

Officials of the Qatar Embassy in Kathmandu refused an immediate comment on the matter.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 11, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.