In the last three and a half years, more than 20,000 passengers have been turned away from Tribhuvan International Airport because they did not fall into the trap of human trafficking under the guise of a visit visa. When Balkrishna Khan, Narayankaji Shrestha, Ravi Lamichhane and Ramesh Akhtar took over the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs, 20,496 passengers who had passed the initial security check with 'boarding passes' from the international airport were returned from the immigration.

It has been revealed from the investigation that despite being allowed to enter the country of destination, they were returned from the airport because they did not fall into the 'gang setting'. The Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission is investigating after receiving a complaint of human trafficking under the guise of visit visas in the activity of gangs working as middlemen in this network including travel agencies, manpower companies, airlines and this network. During the investigation, the chief immigration officer of the airport and three other people working as middlemen have been arrested. The authority is investigating all four people including Bhattarai.

According to airport immigration, thousands of passengers have been turned away from immigration in three and a half years on the pretext of not completing the 'specified documents'. People who have traveled on visit visas to countries like Europe, Asia, and Africa have also suffered huge financial losses, including tickets, when they are returned from the immigration office.

Claiming that there is a growing tendency to go from Nepal to UAE, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq and various countries in Europe and Africa on a visit visa and change it to a 'working visa' after reaching there, the Ministry of Home Affairs has come up with standards/guidelines with strict conditions for traveling on a visit visa so that its 'tajbeez' works.

Passengers are forced to enter the gang's setting and pay money when the situation is such that they cannot travel under strict conditions. It has already been confirmed by the research conducted by the Nepal Police that thousands of people are deprived of their journey when they allow those who enter the setting to pass easily, but in the case of those who are not, they are returned through the immigration on the pretext of not having documents.

According to the records of the Immigration Department from 2022 to 21 May 2025, the number of people who went on visit visas to different countries during this period is 755 thousand 7 people. Of these, 177,310 in 2022, 24,535 in 2023, 276,624 in 2024, and 96,538 people have flown abroad on visit visas by May 21, 2025. According to this figure, in 2022, 750 per day per day, 550 per day in 2023, 500 per day per day in 2024, it is seen that Nepali visit visas will be 500 per day.

Officials involved in the investigation say that those who go on a visit visa from the gang's 'setting' pay up to 3 lakhs for Europe and up to 50 thousand rupees per person for various countries in Asia including the Gulf.

Some of the arrested accused revealed that part of the money handed over to the gang went from immigration to high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Authorities and police officials involved in the investigation say that more than 70 percent of passengers flying abroad on visit visas go through gang networks. 

Those who booked a trip without paying the amount have been turned away from the airport after being harassed by the staff and the 'gang'. According to the statistics of immigration, 4 thousand 293 in 2022, 4 thousand 883 in 2023, 9 thousand 5 in 2024 and 2 thousand 317 visit visa holders were returned from immigration until May 21, 2025.

According to research sources, after the strict provisions imposed on the visit visa, the number of people going to the gang's scheme has increased and the problem will not stop until such controversial provisions are removed. Due to the strict provisions, it has been revealed from the investigation that money is transacted between travel agencies, airlines, employees, police and middlemen and the list of going to that setting is decided.

Experts say that such controversial and unreasonable standards should be abolished to control the smuggling that was rampant in the last visit visa. Former Secretary Jaymukund Khanal says that the problem has arisen because of the procedure-standards and circulars of 'Tazbij' rather than the governance-administration act-laws and rules-methodology of the country. He says that the visit visa issue connected with the immigration administration is also a part of it.

"It seems that the tendency to rule by circulars and directives is more dominant than laws/rules," Khanal told Kantipur, "complicated and unnecessary arrangements placed in the order/standards and procedures of the government and ministers have led to the flourishing of the business of gangs in visit visas." They say that the problem has arisen due to cheating. "We can't ignore the subject who has been subjected to physical abuse after going on a visit visa. For this, the documents of the travelers are not checked at the final departure hall of the airport, they should be double-checked by the relevant agency before leaving, the documents of the travelers should be verified in advance. If that happens, the person does not have to be returned from the airport," says Bhandari, "But after reaching the final point here, they are searching for the documents and trapping money and collecting the money. This should be stopped."