FAQs Labour & Community Welfare

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between ECR and ECNR Passports??
A:

    Emigration Act, 1983 provides that no citizen of India shall migrate unless he obtains emigration clearance from Protector of Emigrants. It has been recognized that certain countries (currently 17) do not provide avenues for grievance redressal. Thus they have been categorized as Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. Hence, all persons, having ECR endorsed passports and going to any of the 17 ECR countries for taking up employment require emigration clearance. However, ECR passport holders going to any ECR country for purposes other than employment do not require emigration clearance. No specific mention of ECNR is made on the passports and the ones not endorsed as ECR, automatically belong to ECNR category.

Q: How do I check if my R A is registered?
A:

    You can check the details of registered Recruiting Agents on the eMigrate portal (https://emigrate.gov.in/External website that opens in a new window).

Q: I have been recruited directly by an employer in an ECR country. How do I apply for emigrant registration?
A:

    Initial registration has to be done on the eMigrate system (https://emigrate.gov.in/ ) .This can be done directly from any computer with internet facility.

Q: I have got an offer letter from a particular company abroad. How do I check if the offer letter is genuine?
A:

    Contact the foreign company directly to confirm is this letter is genuine. You can also send us an email at labour.doha@mea.gov.in.


Q: My recruiting agent has duped me and I have lost money. What should I do?
A:

    You can lodge a complaint in the eMigrate or Madad Portals (www.emigrate.gov.in or www.madad.gov.in ) or call up the Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) on 1800 11 3090 for further assistance.

Q: I want to lodge a complaint against a Recruiting Agent (RA). What are the steps to be followed?
A:

    The complaint can be registered on one of the online portals of the Ministry eMigrate (https://emigrate.gov.in/External website) or the ‘Madad’ Portal (www.madad.gov.in ) or sent to the Protector General of Emigrants, along with details for taking necessary action.

Q: What are the documents required for getting emigration clearance for ECR workers?
A:

  • All persons, having Emigration Check Required (ECR) endorsed passports and going to any of the 17 ECR countries for taking up employment require emigration clearance which can be obtained from the Office of Protector of Emigrants (POEs). Persons who do not have the ECR stamp on their passports do not require emigration clearance.
  • A person could take up employment in a foreign country either through a registered recruiting agent or directly through a foreign employer or a project exporter. The Protector of Emigrants, after satisfying himself about the accuracy of the particulars mentioned in the application and other documents submitted along with the application, grants emigration clearance in the prescribed manner and form. In case there is any deficiency, the POE intimates the same by an order in writing to the applicant or the Recruiting Agent or employer, through whom the applications have been made. Information about the registered as well as active Recruiting Agents (RA) is available at the Ministry’s website http://www.emigrate.gov.in .
Q: Documents Required for Skilled/Semi-Skilled Workers (Individuals)?
A:

    Semi-skilled individuals who seek emigration clearance directly from the Protectors of Emigrants (and not through Recruiting Agents) are required to produce the following documents in original for scrutiny and return:-

    1. Passport valid for a minimum period of six months with valid visa.
    2. Employment Contract from foreign employer.
    3. Challan towards deposit of prescribed fee.
    4. Insurance Policy under Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana.
Q: Documents Required for Unskilled/Women Workers (Individuals)?
A:

    Unskilled workers and women (not below 30 years of age) seeking employment abroad shall continue to furnish (in original) the following documents at the time of obtaining emigration clearance:

    1. Passport valid for a minimum period of six months with valid Visa.
    2. Employment contract from the foreign employer duly attested by the Indian Embassy or Permission letter from the concerned Indian Embassy / Consulate.
    3. Challan towards deposits of prescribed fee.
    4. Insurance policy Under Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY).
Q: Documents required for skilled/semi-skilled workers (through Recruiting Agents)?
A:

    Recruiting agents who seek emigration clearance for skilled/semiskilled workers are required to produce: -

    1. Passport of the worker valid for a minimum period of 6 months with valid visa.
    2. Original Employment contract, demand letter and power of attorney from the foreign employer.
    3. Deposit of prescribed fee.
    4. Insurance Policy- Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana.
Q: Documents required for Unskilled/Women Workers (Through Recruiting Agents)?
A:

    In addition to the requirements for skilled/semiskilled workers, all employment documents mentioned in (ii) above have to be duly attested by the Indian Embassy.

    The specimen employment contract lays down the basic terms and conditions of employment including salary, accommodation, medical cover, transport, etc.

    In the case of vulnerable categories of workers i.e. unskilled Labor and housemaids/domestic workers, in respect of six countries viz. Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Sudan, and Kuwait, these employment documents are required to be attested by the concerned Indian Embassy / Consulate (s).

    Emigration clearance to women to work abroad as housemaids/domestic servants etc.

    On the recommendations of the National Commission for Women, a ban was imposed on grant of emigration clearance to women below the age of thirty (30) years for all kinds of employment in any ECR country.

    Such women who have come on leave to India and wish to go back to the same foreign employer are not subject to the said ban and the POEs have been empowered to grant a ‘no objection certificate’ to such women applicants to facilitate clearance by Immigration Authorities at the International Airports in India. The said ban is not applicable to:

    1. women holding passports without ECR (Emigration Check Required) endorsement; and
    2. women going to any of the ECNR countries.
Q: Do non ECR category workers need to register in the e-Migrate system?
A:

    No

Q: Where are the POE Offices located in India?
A:

    There are 10 Protector of Emigrants (POE) offices across India. The details are as below:


    Ser

    Location

    Address

    Contact Number

    1

    Mumbai

    Building "E" Khira Nagar, S.V. Road, Santacruz (West) Mumbai-400 054

    022-2614 7393

    2

    Kolkata

    Room No. 18, A Wing, MSO Building, 3rd Floor, DF Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700064

    033-2334 3407

    3

    Chennai

    Tamil Nadu Housing Board Complex, Ashok Nagar, Chennai-600 083

    044-24891337

    4

    Delhi

    Jaisalmar House, Canteen Block, Man Singh Road, New Delhi

    011-23382472

    5

    Kochi

    Mercy Estate,4th Floor, RaviPuram,MG Road, Cochin-682015

    0484-2360187

    6

    Hyderabad

    8th Floor,Chandra Vihar Complex, Opp. Exhibition Ground, M.J. Road, Hyderabad

    040-24652557

    7

    Thiruvananthapuram

    Suganth, 24/846 (I), Thycaud, Trivandrum-695 014

    0471-2324835

    8

    Chandigarh

    Kendriya Sadan, 5th Block, Ground Floor, 9Sector-9-A, Chandigarh

    0172-2741790

    9

    Jaipur

    Hall No. 3, RIICO CFC Building, Sitapura Industrial Area Sitapura, Jaipur-302022

    0141 -2771528

    10

    Rae Bareli

    1st Floor, Rudra Plaza, Hospital Road, Rae Bareli

    0535 –2211122

Q: How to Apply for a Duplicate Passport?
A:

    If you lose your passport, then please inform the nearest police station or the CEID and obtain a copy of the FIR. Also inform the Embassy without delay. Passport is a valuable document and in case it gets misused, you can be held responsible, if you have not informed the police and the Embassy. You may apply for a duplicate passport with the documents enumerated above. If your passport gets damaged, you can get it replaced. In case of damaged / lost passports (except in case of habitual losers), provided your original passport was issued at the Indian Embassy in Doha, you should get a passport in about 10 days. If you have applied for a duplicate passport in place of a passport which was originally issued at some other passport office, it can take up to 45 days. A duplicate passport may not be issued for the second loss/damage of passport unless the circumstances are adequately explained. Habitual losers of passports will be denied further passport facilities. All such duplicate passports which have been re-issued against lost/damaged passports will be submitted for post-police verification. Hence, the applicants are requested to fill up and submit the Personal Particulars Form along with the application.

Q: I have a passport with ECR status printed on it. What does this mean?
A:

    Emigration clearance is required for employment in the following countries (18 in total): United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand, and Iraq. ECR passport holders taking up employment in the above-mentioned list of 17 countries require emigration clearance from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (POE) before leaving India; otherwise, they will be stopped from traveling at the port of exit. ECR passport holders traveling abroad for a purpose other than employment, to any of the list of 17 countries, will be allowed to leave the country on production of valid passport, valid visa and return ticket at the immigration counters of an international airport in India. However, action can be taken against you for misrepresenting the purpose of your journey.

Q: I have a passport with ECR status and have an employment visa on it. Do I require emigration clearance?
A:

    ECR passport holders taking up employment in the list of 17 countries mentioned in the instructions of passport application form require emigration clearance from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (POE) before leaving India; otherwise, they will be stopped from travelling at the port of exit. A passport holder having employment visa in passport does not require clearance from POE when they go back after a short visit to India, else emigration clearance is required.

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