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MEA cautions people seeking jobs abroad, says huge rise in cheating cases
According to the Emigration Act of 1983, no recruiting agent can collect more than ₹30,000 and GST at 18% from prospective migrants for services provided by the agent
NEW DELHI: The external affairs ministry on Thursday cautioned people seeking work abroad to use the services of only registered recruiting agents given a “huge rise” in overseas job seekers being cheated by unregistered agents with fake job offers and charges of up to ₹5 lakh.
Unregistered and illegal agents operate without obtaining the mandatory licence from the external affairs ministry and provide “little or no details” of their whereabouts and contacts, the ministry said in a detailed advisory. It has also been reported that many illegal agents operate through Facebook, WhatsApp, text messages and other such mediums.
The agents usually communicate only through WhatsApp, making it difficult to ascertain the location and identity of the caller and the genuineness of the job offer, the advisory said. The illegal agents lure workers to work in “difficult and life-threatening conditions” and such cases have been reported for recruitment to work in several East European, West Asian and Central Asian countries, Israel, Canada, Myanmar and Laos.
“It has been noticed that there has been a huge rise in the number of overseas job seekers being cheated by unregistered recruitment agents by fake job offers and also overcharging to the tune of ₹2-5 lakhs. These unregistered and illegal agents operate without obtaining licence from the external affairs ministry, which is mandatory for any recruitment for work abroad,” the advisory said.
“In view of the above, persons seeking jobs abroad are requested to use safe and legal services of registered recruiting agents (RAs) only,” the advisory added. All registered agents are issued a licence number that is displayed at their offices and in their advertisements.
The ministry advised prospective emigrants to cross-check the genuineness of the agents by visiting the government website that listed registered recruitment agents.
According to the Emigration Act of 1983, no recruiting agent can collect more than ₹30,000 and GST at 18% from prospective migrants for services provided by the agent. The agent will also have to issue a receipt for the amount.
The advisory said valid job offers come with an employment contract signed by the foreign employer, recruitment agent and emigrant worker. This contract must mention the terms and conditions of the job, the salary and other emoluments.
Valid job offers must allow workers to emigrate using an employment or work or other similar visa. The workers cannot use a tourist visa, which should only be used for tourism. Reputed foreign employers usually cover the cost of airfare, board, lodging and insurance cover.
Migrant workers should make themselves aware of local conditions in the destination country. This information can be obtained by attending pre-departure orientation training centres or from the community welfare wing of the Indian embassy in the destination country.
The Indian government makes it mandatory for registered recruitment agents to purchase Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) for migrant workers as this provides several benefits, including an assured sum of ₹10 lakh in case of death or work-related injury and medical expenses. This involves a one-time premium of ₹275 for cover of two years and ₹375 for cover of three years.
“Going abroad through any other channel of recruitment involves serious risk of being defrauded of money, not landing in the promised job and difficult living conditions abroad,” the advisory said.
The ministry warned all unregistered agents not to get involved in overseas recruitment activities. “Such activities are in violation of the Emigration Act 1983 and amount to human trafficking, which is a punishable criminal offence,” the advisory said.
