Kathmandu- It has come to light that 200 Myanmar citizens entered the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using Nepali passports. The information was shared by Nepal’s Department of Immigration during a virtual meeting held on Tuesday with ambassadors from nine labor-destination countries, along with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting included Nepali ambassadors and labor attaches from Gulf countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, as well as Malaysia and Thailand. Officials discussed the need to bring those using fake documents under legal action.

According to the Department, the talks also reviewed the latest situation of Nepalese traveling abroad on labor and tourist visas, their employment involvement, possible risks, and strategies to improve immigration control.

Other key points discussed included:

Addressing the concerns raised by recent youth led Gen-Z protests in Nepal and their link to foreign employment.

Reviewing and updating government rules related to visit visas.

Formulating a long-term strategy for labor migration and strengthening the role of Nepali missions abroad.

Developing an integrated system for data sharing among embassies, labor attaches, and the Department of Immigration.

Making visit visa insurance mandatory for Nepalese.

Establishing rescue funds at Nepali missions abroad for citizens facing difficulties.

Drafting laws to regulate domestic workers to prevent unsafe migration through informal channels.

Retaining labor representatives at missions abroad to better manage foreign employment.

Minimizing the influence of middlemen in labor migration.

Sharing information to prevent illegal trafficking of Nepalese through Oman after UAE tightened its visa rules.

Addressing cases of fraud where brokers charge high fees for Kuwait visit visas, which are actually prohibited.

Highlighting that UAE has become the “epicenter” of foreign employment for Nepalese, with 25 to 30 deaths per month, mostly suicides. Currently, about 381,000 Nepalese are working in the UAE, with 548 in prison, 345 of them on drug-related charges.

Restoring the labor desk at the airport for visit visa travelers.

Making pre-departure verification mandatory at airports.

Holding manpower agencies more accountable.

Raising awareness on foreign employment risks at the local level.

The Department emphasized the urgent need to act against those presenting fake documents, including the Myanmar citizens carrying Nepali passports in the UAE.