The government on Thursday issued a stern warning to all unregistered agencies in the country not to indulge in overseas recruitments, saying such activities are in violation of the Emigration Act 1983 and amount to human trafficking, which is a punishable criminal offense.

It also advised people seeking jobs abroad to use the safe and legal services of registered Recruiting Agents (RA) only in view of a huge increase in the number of overseas job seekers being cheated by unregistered recruitment agents by fake job offers and by overcharging to the tune of Rs. two to five lakh.

In a press release, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said these unregistered/illegal agents operate without obtaining a license from the MEA, which is mandatory for any recruitment for work abroad. Many illegal agents operate through Facebook, Whatsapp, text message and other such mediums.

These agencies provide little or no details of their whereabouts and contacts. They usually communicate only through WhatsApp, making it difficult to ascertain the location and identity of the caller & genuineness of the job offer.

Such agents also lure workers to work in difficult and life threatening conditions. Such cases are being reported for recruitments in several East European Countries, some of the Gulf and Central Asian countries, Israel, Canada, Myanmar and Laos.

The MEA pointed out that valid job offers come along with an Employment Contract duly signed by Foreign Employer, recruitment Agent and the emigrant worker. The Employment Contract must mention terms and conditions of the job being offered and the salary and other emoluments. Valid job offers must allow the worker to emigrate on the strength of an Employment or Work visa or other similar visa except tourist visa. It may be noted that tourist visas should only be used for the purpose of tourism. Normally, reputed Foreign Employers provide for the cost of airfare, boarding & lodging and insurance cover.

Emigrant workers should make themselves aware of local conditions of the destination country. The information may be obtained by attending Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) Centers or from the Community Welfare Wing of the concerned Indian Embassy in the destination country.

”The Government of India makes it mandatory for registered recruitment agents to purchase Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) for the migrant workers which provides various benefits including Rs. 10 Lakh sum assured on death cases and work related injury and medical expenses with one time premium (Rs. 275 for the cover of two years and Rs. 375 for the cover of three years),” the MEA added.