Never in the history of the country have Nepalese been going abroad in such large numbers as migrant workers, students or for other purposes. Isolated from the outside world for long and because of restrictions on foreign travel, Nepalese were confined within their own borders. The situation has changed, especially in the last decade. Nepalese working overseas are helping their country's tottering economy, but not without enduring immense psychologic
al and social trauma themselves.
Four-year-old Nirmala Shrestha (not her real name) does not know what her father look likes. He went to the United States just a few weeks after he got married. Nirmala's family is not certain whether he would ever return to the country.
"I talk with my husband on the phone, but that kind of contact is not enough for our daughter to recognize him," says Nirmala's mother, Geeta Shrestha, 24. "I know he will return, but I can't give a date."
Subarna Subedi (not his real name), an eight-year-old boy, is equally desperate to see his father, who left for the United Kingdom when he was just three months old. Subarna talks to him on the telephone, but that is hardly a consolation. "My father will return within the next few months, and I will never allow him to go to a foreign country again," says Subedi, wearing an innocent smile.
Subarna's mother, however, has other dreams. She is certain that her husband will ask them to join him in Britain as soon as he gets legal permission to live and work there. "We have to face difficulties to see a better and prosperous future," says 28-year-old Bunu Subedi.
Subarna and Nirmala are merely two of countless Nepalese children who are living with a single parent. The other parent is in United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Gulf countries toiling hour after hour in the quest of a secure and prosperous future.
Often, that turns out to be an elusive quest. One has to spend thousands of rupees to buy the plane ticket, get a passport and visa. Those who have been travelling with illegal documents and living illegally could end up facing a more difficult time in the country of destination.
Rameshwor Kanu, Jeet Limbu and Ghanshyam KC were flown back to Kathmandu from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport because they were carrying unconfirmed tickets to Dubai. Although Kanu, Limbu and K.C. had already acquired the work permit and visa to go to Dubai, they were forced to return because their tickets for the connecting flight to the Gulf emirate were not confirmed.
"Who will compensate the money we spent flying from Kathmandu to New Delhi and back?" asks Kanu, who had taken a loan on his land and property. Kanu, Lama and Limbu, hoping to escape the desperate poverty of their families, succumbed to the promises of a conman posing as a government agent. For the residents of a dirt-poor town, the benefits from working abroad were simply too good to ignore. After a few weeks of training, the man told them, they would be making a healthy US$ 250 a month working in a factory.
Jeevan Lama, 28, (not his real name) was immediately flown back to Kathmandu when Air Canada staff at Indira Ganndhi International Airport discovered that his immigration visa was fake. After inquiry, authorities found that the official passport he was carrying was not his own.
Although the personal stories and family trauma of migrant workers vary from country to country, there is a common thread: Tens of thousand of migrant workers leaving Nepal in search of work abroad. Aspirants spend huge amounts of money in trying their lock. Ignorance of international immigration regulations and rules of the travel system often land many into instant trouble. Kanu, Limbu and KC were victims of unscrupulous travel agents and a manpower company.
"We have to settle a couple of such cases of deportation and complications of tickets of Nepalese workers," said an official at Royal Nepal Airline's New Delhi office. "In most cases, Nepalese migrants are compelled to return because they carry unconfirmed tickets for connecting flights."
Tickets, passport and visa alone are not enough for one to head on the road to prosperity. It is important to establish whether these documents are original. Many Nepalese have been facing trouble flying without knowing the legal status of their airline tickets and passports.
According to a recent report of the Department of Labor, more than 214,839 Nepalese are working in East Asia, South East Asia and the Gulf region. There are 77,686 legal Nepalese workers in Saudi Arabia, 52,581 in Malaysia, 48,869 in Qatar, 23,321 in the United Arab Emirates (of which Dubai is a part), 3,040 in South Korea, 2,929 in Bahrain, 2,821 in Kuwait, 1,639 in Hong Kong and 1,953 in other countries. An equal number of Nepalese are working abroad illegally.
In Europe and the United States, most of the Nepalese migrant workers are well educated. From a former chief editor of Nepal's oldest daily newspaper to prominent actors, countless Nepalese are living and working in the United States illegally. In the United Kingdom and other European countries, too, Nepalese workers have similar academic qualifications.
"Given the distances involved and the difficulties of access for other reasons, migration to North America (to a lesser extent Europe) is generally limited to those with both resources and qualifications," according to a study conducted in 1999 by David Seddon, with Jagannath Adhikari and Ganesh Gurung, for the British government's Department for International Development (DFID).
According to the report, there are some 30,000 illegal Nepalese migrant workers in East and South East Asia, of which possibly 10,000 are in Japan, where most aspire to work because of the high wage rates available even for menial jobs.
"Once a visa's validity expires, the people have a choice: either to surrender to the immigration officials or to stay as much as possible to make money," says advocate Gandhi Pandit, who has practised immigration law in New York.
Hundreds of migrant workers are on the move in Asia, seeking work but finding only frustration and abuse. The stories of affluence and facilities migrant workers are enjoying in such countries sound too good to be true. In many cases, they are.
History of Migration
A large number of Nepalese workers go abroad to work in the absence of fruitful local employment opportunities at home. After the Nepal-British war of 1814-1815, the formal entrance of Nepalese citizens in foreign employment begun when 4,650 Nepalese were appointed to the British armed forces as part of the British-Gurkha regiment. Also a large number of Nepalese workers had migrated to Myanmar and Assam in North-east India.
Youth : Plagued by unemployment
Today the government has permitted 20 countries to recruit Nepalese workers. Those countries include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), South Korea, Brunei, Saipan (US), Iraq, Macao (China), Israel, Kosovo and South Africa. According to the Ministry of Labor, permission has also been issued to the Maldives, Latvia and Seychelles. Statistics of the Ministry of Labor also show that there are 45 in the United States, 53 in England, 12 in France and three in Germany.
The British Gurkhas are still regarded as the best source of foreign employment for Nepalese. The Gurkha soldiers receive many legal facilities during their tenure in the regiment. Their employment and other facilities are guaranteed under a treaty between Nepal, United Kingdom and India.
Although Nepalese started joining foreign army a long time back, the soldiers returned as soon as they were retired. This is why only a few Nepalese families are settled outside the country.
The phenomenon of Nepalese migrating to other countries is very new. About 100,000 Nepalese are estimated to have immigrated to the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and other European countries.
The upsurge of Nepalese going abroad begun after the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1990 when the distribution of passports was relaxed and many foreign employment companies were set up.
Trauma of Workers
Hoping to secure prosperity by working in foreign lands, many Nepalese are fleeing their from their homeland with whatever documents they can get. From the educated to the barely literate, there is an irresistible lure to go overseas for work. In many cases, people with illegal documents land in police custody and are compelled to spend their life in foreign prison.
According to a conservative estimate, up to 1,000 Nepalese who were trying to enter other countries illegally are serving prison time in different parts of the world. Most of the illegal workers are prisoners are in Southeast Asian countries. Had Puri and Lama been detained in the capital of any East Asian country, they would have had to face harsh prison terms, from 10 years to life.
From Europe to North America and from South East Asia, East Asia to the Middle East, Nepalese are going in search of work in growing numbers each year. Mostly illiterate and unskilled workers prefer to go to South East Asia, India and the Middle East, whereas educated groups of people prefer to migrate to Western Europe, the United States and Japan.
Whether literate or educated, the majority of the Nepalese do similar works. In the United States, Western Europe and Japan, illegal Nepalese workers have been working in restaurants, gas stations and construction companies, like their literate brethren in the Middle East and East Asia.
Because of lack of skills, the majority of Nepalese residing in the United States and Western Europe do not find better positions than those held by nationals of South and East Asian countries.
Cultural Crisis
If they had been aware of the legal and other complications they would have to face in day-to-day life after the expiry of their legal rights to stay in the country, most people would probably have opted to return home. "I know life in Nepal is not easy, but I have friends and families there. After all, I have recognition and prestige," says a prominent Nepalese who got a US green card after living in the country illegally for more than five years.
As migrant workers' salary and work are based on their skills, they have to be prepared to do every kind of work, including those they would shun in Nepal. Once they return home, migrant workers also bring along skills and work ethics. The exposure Nepalese workers get in foreign countries can be immensely beneficial to Nepal.
Illegal Workers
Even some very educated Nepalese have been working in Britain, United States and Japan as illegal workers. In the United States and Britain, undocumented Nepalese are found working either in gas stations or in restaurants. Hundreds of Nepalese from all backgrounds and age groups are engaged in menial work in the United States.
Few Nepalese are aware of the difficulties that await them abroad. The fortunes of legal migrants are affected by job market conditions. Many have to confront growing anti-immigrant sentiment from resurgent far-right political groups. Whether in the United States, Malaysia, Japan or any other part of the world, illegal workers face additional hardships in the form of exploitative employers and unpleasant brushes with the law.In South East Asian and East Asian countries, once police arrest an illegal immigrant, he or she has to go to prison for life. Illegal immigration is regarded as a crime like murder. In Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, many Nepalese are serving life imprisonment. As the country is in no position to afford legal counseling, many Nepalese caught with false documents are forced to go to jail.
Migrant workers have always reflected Asia's fortunes. They were globalization's prisoners. As the economic surged, host countries such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand not only welcomed documented workers but also happily turned blind eye to illegal foreign workers who could help build their infrastructures. Life was tough but the migrants Nepalese, though on the bottom rung, were on the ladder to prosperity. These days, authorities treat foreign workers like pariahs.
Securing Employment
As it is easier to go through illegal channels, many Nepalese are unaware of legal complications that come with being trapped in the wrong side. According to the Ministry of Labor, only a few people going through duly registered manpower supply companies end up facing law-enforcement authorities abroad. But many Nepalese complain of being cheated by people claiming to be duly authorized representatives of Nepal's 234 manpower supply companies.
Before 1990, it was very difficult to secure a passport, so only a few people got the opportunity to go abroad.
"Access to employment abroad is regulated in a variety of ways, both formal and informal. The process of recruitment differs significantly, depending on the form of employment and the region to which the migrant workers go; the relative importance of personal networks and pre-existing linkages between place of origin and place of work also various considerably," according to Seddon's study.
Employment in the British Army depends on success in formal selection procedures usually at clearly identifiable recruitment centers. The Gulf is the most rapidly growing region for Nepalese migrant laborers. Benefits of the Foreign Employment
Despite the social and psychological trauma Nepalese worker undergo, the money they send back home has proved to be a boon to the Nepalese economy. According to Seddon's study, the value of remittances from migrant Nepalese workers could be as high as Rs. 69 billion. This would be the rough equivalent of 25 percent of official gross domestic product and about 20 percent of adjusted GDP.
Nepal Rastra Bank's 2000\2001 estimates showed that the amount is just Rs. 12.66 billion. "The DFID's report is based on an over-estimate," says a senior official at the central bank.
Innocent and unaware, Nepalese go abroad dreaming of a prosperous future. When they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, it is often too late. They end up as illegal workers from where they nether can return to unite with their family nor live with satisfaction. For children like Nirmala and Subarna, the psychological trauma can be lasting.
al and social trauma themselves.Four-year-old Nirmala Shrestha (not her real name) does not know what her father look likes. He went to the United States just a few weeks after he got married. Nirmala's family is not certain whether he would ever return to the country.
"I talk with my husband on the phone, but that kind of contact is not enough for our daughter to recognize him," says Nirmala's mother, Geeta Shrestha, 24. "I know he will return, but I can't give a date."
Subarna Subedi (not his real name), an eight-year-old boy, is equally desperate to see his father, who left for the United Kingdom when he was just three months old. Subarna talks to him on the telephone, but that is hardly a consolation. "My father will return within the next few months, and I will never allow him to go to a foreign country again," says Subedi, wearing an innocent smile.
Subarna's mother, however, has other dreams. She is certain that her husband will ask them to join him in Britain as soon as he gets legal permission to live and work there. "We have to face difficulties to see a better and prosperous future," says 28-year-old Bunu Subedi.
Subarna and Nirmala are merely two of countless Nepalese children who are living with a single parent. The other parent is in United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Gulf countries toiling hour after hour in the quest of a secure and prosperous future.
Often, that turns out to be an elusive quest. One has to spend thousands of rupees to buy the plane ticket, get a passport and visa. Those who have been travelling with illegal documents and living illegally could end up facing a more difficult time in the country of destination.
Rameshwor Kanu, Jeet Limbu and Ghanshyam KC were flown back to Kathmandu from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport because they were carrying unconfirmed tickets to Dubai. Although Kanu, Limbu and K.C. had already acquired the work permit and visa to go to Dubai, they were forced to return because their tickets for the connecting flight to the Gulf emirate were not confirmed.
"Who will compensate the money we spent flying from Kathmandu to New Delhi and back?" asks Kanu, who had taken a loan on his land and property. Kanu, Lama and Limbu, hoping to escape the desperate poverty of their families, succumbed to the promises of a conman posing as a government agent. For the residents of a dirt-poor town, the benefits from working abroad were simply too good to ignore. After a few weeks of training, the man told them, they would be making a healthy US$ 250 a month working in a factory.
Jeevan Lama, 28, (not his real name) was immediately flown back to Kathmandu when Air Canada staff at Indira Ganndhi International Airport discovered that his immigration visa was fake. After inquiry, authorities found that the official passport he was carrying was not his own.
Although the personal stories and family trauma of migrant workers vary from country to country, there is a common thread: Tens of thousand of migrant workers leaving Nepal in search of work abroad. Aspirants spend huge amounts of money in trying their lock. Ignorance of international immigration regulations and rules of the travel system often land many into instant trouble. Kanu, Limbu and KC were victims of unscrupulous travel agents and a manpower company.
"We have to settle a couple of such cases of deportation and complications of tickets of Nepalese workers," said an official at Royal Nepal Airline's New Delhi office. "In most cases, Nepalese migrants are compelled to return because they carry unconfirmed tickets for connecting flights."
Tickets, passport and visa alone are not enough for one to head on the road to prosperity. It is important to establish whether these documents are original. Many Nepalese have been facing trouble flying without knowing the legal status of their airline tickets and passports.
According to a recent report of the Department of Labor, more than 214,839 Nepalese are working in East Asia, South East Asia and the Gulf region. There are 77,686 legal Nepalese workers in Saudi Arabia, 52,581 in Malaysia, 48,869 in Qatar, 23,321 in the United Arab Emirates (of which Dubai is a part), 3,040 in South Korea, 2,929 in Bahrain, 2,821 in Kuwait, 1,639 in Hong Kong and 1,953 in other countries. An equal number of Nepalese are working abroad illegally.
In Europe and the United States, most of the Nepalese migrant workers are well educated. From a former chief editor of Nepal's oldest daily newspaper to prominent actors, countless Nepalese are living and working in the United States illegally. In the United Kingdom and other European countries, too, Nepalese workers have similar academic qualifications.
"Given the distances involved and the difficulties of access for other reasons, migration to North America (to a lesser extent Europe) is generally limited to those with both resources and qualifications," according to a study conducted in 1999 by David Seddon, with Jagannath Adhikari and Ganesh Gurung, for the British government's Department for International Development (DFID).
According to the report, there are some 30,000 illegal Nepalese migrant workers in East and South East Asia, of which possibly 10,000 are in Japan, where most aspire to work because of the high wage rates available even for menial jobs.
"Once a visa's validity expires, the people have a choice: either to surrender to the immigration officials or to stay as much as possible to make money," says advocate Gandhi Pandit, who has practised immigration law in New York.
Hundreds of migrant workers are on the move in Asia, seeking work but finding only frustration and abuse. The stories of affluence and facilities migrant workers are enjoying in such countries sound too good to be true. In many cases, they are.
History of Migration
A large number of Nepalese workers go abroad to work in the absence of fruitful local employment opportunities at home. After the Nepal-British war of 1814-1815, the formal entrance of Nepalese citizens in foreign employment begun when 4,650 Nepalese were appointed to the British armed forces as part of the British-Gurkha regiment. Also a large number of Nepalese workers had migrated to Myanmar and Assam in North-east India.
Youth : Plagued by unemployment
Today the government has permitted 20 countries to recruit Nepalese workers. Those countries include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), South Korea, Brunei, Saipan (US), Iraq, Macao (China), Israel, Kosovo and South Africa. According to the Ministry of Labor, permission has also been issued to the Maldives, Latvia and Seychelles. Statistics of the Ministry of Labor also show that there are 45 in the United States, 53 in England, 12 in France and three in Germany.
The British Gurkhas are still regarded as the best source of foreign employment for Nepalese. The Gurkha soldiers receive many legal facilities during their tenure in the regiment. Their employment and other facilities are guaranteed under a treaty between Nepal, United Kingdom and India.
Although Nepalese started joining foreign army a long time back, the soldiers returned as soon as they were retired. This is why only a few Nepalese families are settled outside the country.
The phenomenon of Nepalese migrating to other countries is very new. About 100,000 Nepalese are estimated to have immigrated to the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and other European countries.
The upsurge of Nepalese going abroad begun after the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1990 when the distribution of passports was relaxed and many foreign employment companies were set up.
Trauma of Workers
Hoping to secure prosperity by working in foreign lands, many Nepalese are fleeing their from their homeland with whatever documents they can get. From the educated to the barely literate, there is an irresistible lure to go overseas for work. In many cases, people with illegal documents land in police custody and are compelled to spend their life in foreign prison.
According to a conservative estimate, up to 1,000 Nepalese who were trying to enter other countries illegally are serving prison time in different parts of the world. Most of the illegal workers are prisoners are in Southeast Asian countries. Had Puri and Lama been detained in the capital of any East Asian country, they would have had to face harsh prison terms, from 10 years to life.
From Europe to North America and from South East Asia, East Asia to the Middle East, Nepalese are going in search of work in growing numbers each year. Mostly illiterate and unskilled workers prefer to go to South East Asia, India and the Middle East, whereas educated groups of people prefer to migrate to Western Europe, the United States and Japan.
Whether literate or educated, the majority of the Nepalese do similar works. In the United States, Western Europe and Japan, illegal Nepalese workers have been working in restaurants, gas stations and construction companies, like their literate brethren in the Middle East and East Asia.
Because of lack of skills, the majority of Nepalese residing in the United States and Western Europe do not find better positions than those held by nationals of South and East Asian countries.
Cultural Crisis
If they had been aware of the legal and other complications they would have to face in day-to-day life after the expiry of their legal rights to stay in the country, most people would probably have opted to return home. "I know life in Nepal is not easy, but I have friends and families there. After all, I have recognition and prestige," says a prominent Nepalese who got a US green card after living in the country illegally for more than five years.
As migrant workers' salary and work are based on their skills, they have to be prepared to do every kind of work, including those they would shun in Nepal. Once they return home, migrant workers also bring along skills and work ethics. The exposure Nepalese workers get in foreign countries can be immensely beneficial to Nepal.
Illegal Workers
Even some very educated Nepalese have been working in Britain, United States and Japan as illegal workers. In the United States and Britain, undocumented Nepalese are found working either in gas stations or in restaurants. Hundreds of Nepalese from all backgrounds and age groups are engaged in menial work in the United States.
Few Nepalese are aware of the difficulties that await them abroad. The fortunes of legal migrants are affected by job market conditions. Many have to confront growing anti-immigrant sentiment from resurgent far-right political groups. Whether in the United States, Malaysia, Japan or any other part of the world, illegal workers face additional hardships in the form of exploitative employers and unpleasant brushes with the law.In South East Asian and East Asian countries, once police arrest an illegal immigrant, he or she has to go to prison for life. Illegal immigration is regarded as a crime like murder. In Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, many Nepalese are serving life imprisonment. As the country is in no position to afford legal counseling, many Nepalese caught with false documents are forced to go to jail.
Migrant workers have always reflected Asia's fortunes. They were globalization's prisoners. As the economic surged, host countries such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand not only welcomed documented workers but also happily turned blind eye to illegal foreign workers who could help build their infrastructures. Life was tough but the migrants Nepalese, though on the bottom rung, were on the ladder to prosperity. These days, authorities treat foreign workers like pariahs.
Securing Employment
As it is easier to go through illegal channels, many Nepalese are unaware of legal complications that come with being trapped in the wrong side. According to the Ministry of Labor, only a few people going through duly registered manpower supply companies end up facing law-enforcement authorities abroad. But many Nepalese complain of being cheated by people claiming to be duly authorized representatives of Nepal's 234 manpower supply companies.
Before 1990, it was very difficult to secure a passport, so only a few people got the opportunity to go abroad.
"Access to employment abroad is regulated in a variety of ways, both formal and informal. The process of recruitment differs significantly, depending on the form of employment and the region to which the migrant workers go; the relative importance of personal networks and pre-existing linkages between place of origin and place of work also various considerably," according to Seddon's study.
Employment in the British Army depends on success in formal selection procedures usually at clearly identifiable recruitment centers. The Gulf is the most rapidly growing region for Nepalese migrant laborers. Benefits of the Foreign Employment
Despite the social and psychological trauma Nepalese worker undergo, the money they send back home has proved to be a boon to the Nepalese economy. According to Seddon's study, the value of remittances from migrant Nepalese workers could be as high as Rs. 69 billion. This would be the rough equivalent of 25 percent of official gross domestic product and about 20 percent of adjusted GDP.
Nepal Rastra Bank's 2000\2001 estimates showed that the amount is just Rs. 12.66 billion. "The DFID's report is based on an over-estimate," says a senior official at the central bank.
Innocent and unaware, Nepalese go abroad dreaming of a prosperous future. When they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, it is often too late. They end up as illegal workers from where they nether can return to unite with their family nor live with satisfaction. For children like Nirmala and Subarna, the psychological trauma can be lasting.
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