Emigration Made Simple

Apart from being a secretary general of Maharashtra United Nation Association, A A Syed is one of India's leading experts on recruitment and manpower supply to foreign countries. He also has made his mark as an advisor to Indian Personnel Export Promotion Council (IPEPCIL). In an interview with Syed Ameen Kader, he raises the other issues that are vital to be discussed for the betterment of many Indians going abroad for jobs.

You’ve been into recruiting industry since quite a long. What do you think are the vital issues that to be looked into to help Indian jobseekers?

Foremost concern about Indian passport is vital to discuss with the Foreign and the Labour Ministry. Earlier, in the passport columns, they used to mention profession as well as religion. After our request to the Foreign Ministry, these two columns have been abolished.

Now another column has been introduced in the passport i.e. Emigration Check Required (ECR) or Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR). In my opinion, this column should be abolished. Because of this column, Emigration offices all over India are putting lots of restrictions when the passport is submitted, mentioned as Emigration Check Required. Most of the people, less educated, coming from poor family background, labour class, helpers, family drivers etc. are not having on their passport as Emigration Check Not Required. Infact, this poor people go to Gulf countries, work hard and earn foreign exchange for our country, and help their families for educating their children, health, housing etc. Majority of the workers going to Gulf countries are denied Emigration clearance on the basis of unwanted column in the passport. If ECNR or ECR is rescinded from the passport, I am sure, the requirement of 7 POE (Protector of Emigrants) offices all over India will not be required. It would be the total responsibility of recruiting agents to look after the well being of the workers going abroad and as per rules of our Labour Ministry, in all the cases, recruiting agents are responsible for the workers going on jobs to abroad.

Finally the government has agreed to simplify the emigration procedures for attestation of certificates of foreign jobseekers. Would you put some light how your proposal finally becomes reality?

Formerly, the employers in Gulf countries were not concerned about minimum qualification of labours and other similar categories that they should be high school passed. As we know, in our country, literacy level is about 60%. In such cases, most of the workers coming from rural area are hardly educated upto VIIIth standard. Demanding a high school certificate from them is unfair because the employer is concerned with the job experience of the persons they are recruiting. As far as high school-passed qualification is concerned, most of the workers from rural area are having high school with Hindi medium where as in Gulf countries most of the workings are carried out in English language. In this connection, I would like to request our Foreign Minister and Labour Minister to have a joint conference with the respective ministries of Gulf countries and solve this problem.

As regards to attestation of documents is concerned, formerly, documents were attested by a local notary, general administration departments of state governments and the consulates of different countries, or embassies. As regards to genuineness of the documents are concerned, let it be the responsibility of recruiting agents and the employees. Because when the system of attestation of documents was introduced through HRD ministry, it was involving more than three months to check the genuineness from the respective education departments of India. This is a Hercules Task to confirm the genuineness from various departments in a vast country like India where we still don’t have centralised computer system in every walk of life. Therefore, I suggest that as per the earlier system i.e. locally notarised, attested by GAD, and attested by consulates and embassies would be the most ideal and practical method to avoid delay. The foreign employer has to complete his project as per time bound schedule. If a foreign employer fails to complete the project in time, they have to pay heavy penalties and also face risk of cancellation of contract.

Our President of Indian Personnel Export Promotion Council (IPEPCIL), Mr. Etabar Khan; Advisor Mr. Zakullah Shiddiqui; Secretary General Mr. Mhatre and myself including other members of the executive committee had a meeting with Hon. Mr. Arjun Singh, HRD Minister, Govt. of India and we had discussed this matter for his kind consideration. Earlier to the meeting, however, our council was continuously writing on this subject to the Labour Ministry and to the HRD Ministry to solve the problem of document attestation. I have been informed that HRD Ministry has agreed and accepted IPEPCIL’s proposal and the directives are on the way to the respective state governments to attest the documents as per earlier system.