ABSTRACT
On 9 June 2015, the GoN issued a notice indicating that the process of labour migration from Nepal will be free of cost, or with minimum cost possible (MoLE 2015a).1 As mentioned in the published notice, the employer will be responsible for bearing the cost of the visa, ticket and all the other related expenses, with minimum fees charged to migrant workers. The RAs would be permitted to charge a maximum of NPR 10,000 (c. USD 100) as a service and promotional fee, if and only when the employing company in the destination country provides in writing that they will not bear the travel and recruitment costs of the concerned worker(s). Accordingly, the ‘free-visa, free-ticket’ or the ‘zero-cost migration’ scheme that it has come to be known since requires the prospective migrant to pay only for services such as pre-departure orientation training, medical check-ups, the government-mandated workers’ welfare fund and insurance, totalling approximately NPR 7,070 (c. USD 70) for men and NPR 6,530 (c. USD 65) for women.2 For the time being, the policy was to be applied for workers going to seven countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.
