March 19: The Ministry for Labour, Employment, and Social Security has drafted a new procedure that will now allow manpower companies to send workers to Korea. Previously, only the government could send workers to Korea.

In the procedure for sending workers to Korea issued by the ministry, there is a provision that manpower companies registered with the Department of Foreign Employment can send Nepali workers to Korea under the E-7 visa system after meeting the specified criteria.

Such companies will also facilitate sending workers to Korea and conduct language and necessary skill training.

The procedure mandates the companies to own a training centre according to the prevailing standards for languages and skill training or a training centre that can be used at any time under a contract agreement.

For the Korean language training centre, the company must have at least two instructors with an official certificate of language training.

The Nepali licensed organization must have an agreement with its contact office or licensed branched legally registered in Korea to collect, verify, and facilitate the demand for the E-7 visa and provide necessary welfare services and work for Nepali workers. There is also a condition in the procedure that specifies that the organization should have an agreement with Nepali workers and Nepali-licensed organizations not to charge any fee for the process.

Under the E-7 visa system, Nepali citizens who wish to go to Korea for employment must have passed the Korean language test and the professional skill test conducted by an organization recognized by the Korean government or a licensed organization.

The details of the Nepali workers passing the language test will be provided by the licensed organization to the Department of Foreign Employment.

The labour recruitment process will be similar to that of the Gulf countries and Malaysia.

There is also a contradictory arrangement made by the Foreign Employment Department in the procedure regarding the recommendation of the visa process for the workers selected by the manpower company.

Currently, Nepali workers are traveling to Korea under a government-to-government agreement through the Employment Permit System (EPS), under the E-9 visa (unskilled workers) system.

About 100,000 Nepali workers have reached Korea through this transparent system.

Danduraj Ghimire, director-general of the Department of Foreign Employment, said that homework is being done to advance the new procedure. A committee will submit its report within 21 days in this regard.