Kathmandu, 14 February: The government has made arrangements to provide work permits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari launched the service at a program organized in Dubai on Thursday.
According to the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Minister Bhandari said that the Nepalese government will continue to make the services provided by the state easy, simple and technology-friendly, keeping in mind the interests and convenience of workers who have gone for foreign employment.
He said that the provision of labor permits through the respective embassies would benefit Nepali workers, free them from the hassle of having to travel to Nepal, and make it easier for them to continue their profession and business.
Stating that this arrangement will gradually be extended to other embassies, Minister Bhandari said that in view of the fact that a large portion of the country’s youth is employed abroad and that foreign employment is the main source of remittances, it is necessary for the government to formulate necessary policies for the rights, interests and protection of Nepali workers and provide timely services and facilities.
Nepal’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Tej Bahadur Chhetri, informed about the work being done by the embassy for workers and said that once the ‘online’ labor permit service is available from the embassy, ​​it will be easier for the Nepali government to provide facilities to workers.
He said that the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi has always been committed to protecting the rights and interests of Nepali workers and accordingly, has provided effective services despite the limited manpower and resources available at the embassy. Ambassador Chhetri expressed confidence that various services of the embassy have been provided through an online system for the past and that once the process of obtaining labor permits is also online, service delivery will become more efficient.
Representatives of various organizations in the UAE, including the Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Nepali Society in the UAE, were present on the occasion. In addition, the President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association UAE, Bikash Shahi, and the President of the Nepali Society UAE, Ram Moktan, also expressed their views, according to a press release issued by the embassy. A labor-related interaction was also organized at the event.
Abu Dhabi is the second embassy after Muscat to issue legalized work permits. Meanwhile, Minister Bhandari represented Nepal at the ‘World Government Summit 2025’ held in the UAE from January 29 to February 1.
The summit was attended by over 30 heads of state and government from around the world, with 6,000 participants, including representatives from 140 countries, representatives from various international and regional organizations, experts from the intellectual and academic sectors, and representatives from industry, commerce, and the private sector.
Bagmati Province Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama also participated in the summit.
