Kathmandu, 16 Sep: The Government of Nepal, through the Department of Foreign Employment, has officially suspended the recently introduced procedure for sending skilled workers to South Korea via private manpower agencies under the E-7 visa category. This decision comes after a directive from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), the national anti-corruption body, citing the need for further review. The existing government-to-government system for sending less-skilled workers, the EPS (Employment Permit System), remains operational and is hailed as a transparent model. Stakeholders have raised concerns that the private E-7 system could be prone to exploitation and might undermine the successful EPS framework.
Government Halts New System for Sending Skilled Workers to South KoreaÂ
The Government of Nepal has decided not to implement the new procedure for sending skilled workers to South Korea through private manpower companies using E-7 visas. The Department of Foreign Employment made this announcement public on Tuesday, stating that the directive has been received to put the process on hold.
According to an official from the Ministry of Labour, the decision was made to implement a directive from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). “The CIAA instructed us to stop this procedure for now and move forward through the Government-to-Government (G2G) channel,” the official said, confirming the ministry’s compliance with the constitutional body’s order. The suspension follows complaints registered at the CIAA regarding the potential for malpractice in the private manpower-driven process.
Established EPS System for Less-Skilled Workers Continues
South Korea has been accepting unskilled laborers from Nepal through the transparent and government-managed Employment Permit System (EPS), which uses the E-9 visa. The EPS is highly regarded for its fair and transparent selection process based solely on Korean language test scores, without any influence or recommendations. To date, over 125,000 Nepali workers have reached Korea under this system.
Stakeholders, including migrant unions, have expressed strong concerns about the private E-7 system. Uday Rai, President of the Migrants’ Trade Union in Korea, argued that allowing private agencies to send workers under the E-7 visa creates a high risk of workers being cheated and charged exorbitant fees. He highlighted complaints from workers of other nationalities who had to pay $12,000-$13,000. There were also fears that a parallel private system could potentially jeopardize the existing EPS agreement.
Existing E-7 Placements and Proposed Procedure
Despite the suspension of the new *procedure*, individuals can still go to Korea on E-7 visas in specific skilled categories like ‘Chef/Cook’ through individual arrangements. The minimum monthly salary for Nepalis in this sector is set at 1.7 million Korean Won (approx. NPR 170,000). In the last decade, 2207 individuals have gone to Korea on this visa. The now-frozen procedure had outlined that manpower agencies would need to partner with registered Korean associations and that employers would bear all costs, including airfare, insurance, and welfare contributions.
