Kathmandu, Dec 29: Nepali migrant workers who have previously worked in Iraq and obtained a valid residency card will now be allowed to return to Iraq after obtaining labor approval from Nepal. This decision opens the way for those who had gone to Iraq through various channels, are working there on official Iraqi visas, and wish to return after coming home on leave.
The opportunity follows a decision made by the cabinet meeting held last Friday, which approved the provision of labor permits to Nepali workers holding official Iraqi visas and valid residency cards, subject to completion of required procedures.
Pitambar Ghimire, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, clarified that the decision merely regularizes workers who were legally employed under Iraqi law but considered illegal under Nepali law. He further noted that the decision does not open labor approval for new workers seeking employment in Iraq.
Due to the lack of labor approval, Nepali workers legally employed in Iraq had long been unable to travel back and forth, fearing job loss if they returned to Nepal. Ministry Spokesperson Ghimire expressed confidence that this step will help reduce the compulsion to use illegal channels to go to Iraq and ensure that records of Nepali workers there are maintained in official government databases.
Previously, Iraq was listed as a “banned” or “high-risk” destination for foreign employment for Nepali workers. As a result, workers returning from Iraq were unable to obtain labor approval to go back. Labor expert Rameshwar Nepal stated that the government’s decision will directly benefit workers who were legally employed in Iraq and are currently in Nepal on leave or intending to return.
According to the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Iraq, around 30,000 Nepalis are currently employed in Iraq, many of them working in reputed companies.
Iraq has been considered unsuitable for foreign employment due to its conflict situation, and labor approvals had been suspended since 2004. Following the brutal killing of 12 Nepali workers by an extremist group in 2004, the Government of Nepal imposed a complete ban on labor migration to Iraq. #nepal #iraq
