"Visit Visa Should Be Made Transparent and Systematic": MP Bhagwati Chaudhary
Kathmandu – CPN-UML Member of Parliament Bhagwati Chaudhary has said that the visit visa system should be made transparent and well-managed. Speaking during a special hour in Parliament, MP Chaudhary, who is also a former minister, stated that Nepalis who have gone to UAE and Gulf countries for foreign employment are facing physical, mental, and legal issues. She emphasized that instead of banning visit visas, they should be made more transparent and systematic.
“The number of citizens being cheated through visit visas is increasing. Those going on visit visas have to pay middlemen hundreds of thousands of rupees, are not given the promised jobs, and often face physical and legal hardships, making rescue operations difficult,” MP Chaudhary said. She added that the Government of Nepal should take responsibility for facilitating the rescue of such affected Nepali citizens.
About a week ago, while participating in the Second International Women Parliamentarians and Changemakers Conclave in Dubai, UAE, she said she met Nepalis working abroad and listened to their hardships and pain. Many of them reportedly said they were not getting the promised job positions, salaries, and facilities, were subjected to mistreatment, and were facing legal troubles.
MP Chaudhary said that imposing a ban on visit visa travel through formal legal processes would only empower brokers and middlemen. Therefore, she urged that the system should be made more managed and transparent.
Likewise, Chaudhary also called for Nepali women to be sent abroad as domestic workers only through the Government-to-Government (G2G) process. She argued that such a system should be mandatory to protect Nepali women from traffickers and violence. She further stated that using terms like “caregiver” or “housekeeper” instead of “servant” could help change the perception towards Nepali workers.
She also highlighted the issue of children born to unmarried Nepali men and women living abroad. “Due to compulsion, coercion, and domestic sexual violence, some unmarried Nepali men and women working abroad have given birth to children. Due to lack of documentation, they cannot go to hospitals, are forced to give birth at home under risky conditions, and cannot return to Nepal,” MP Chaudhary said, emphasizing that the Government of Nepal must provide humanitarian and legal support to resolve such issues.
