Kathmandu, December 15
The suspension imposed on the “Procedure on Sending Skilled Workers to South Korea (E-7 Visa), 2080” has been lifted. Following an order from the Patan High Court, the Department of Foreign Employment has removed the temporary restriction placed on the procedure.
The department had issued a notice on Bhadra 31 stating that implementation of the procedure had been suspended. In response to a writ petition filed against the notice, the High Court ordered that the suspension should not be implemented.
Following the court order, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security issued a circular on Kartik 24 directing that the Bhadra 31 notice should not be enforced. With the court’s order, the procedure has now moved into the implementation phase.
The Ministry of Labour had introduced the procedure to send skilled workers to South Korea under the E-7 visa. The guidelines allow manpower companies to recruit and send skilled workers, and the Nepali Embassy in South Korea had also been instructed to resume demand letter verification.
However, a complaint was later filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) against the government’s decision. The CIAA directed that the procedure should not be implemented, prompting the department to issue the suspension notice.
Business operators subsequently approached the court against the department’s notice. In response to the same writ petition, the High Court ordered that the notice should not be enforced.
Department Director Tikaram Dhakal said the Bhadra 31 notice was withdrawn based on the court’s order and the ministry’s circular. However, both the ministry and the department appear uncertain about whether the pathway for sending workers has been fully reopened.
Currently, South Korea recruits foreign workers through two channels. Under the Employment Permit System (EPS), workers are hired from 17 countries worldwide. In addition, Korea also recruits skilled workers under the E-7 visa from EPS-participating countries. Nepal had developed the procedure to send workers under the E-7 visa, but the move had faced widespread criticism, with concerns raised that it could undermine the EPS system.
