South Korea has made it clear that the Employment Permit System (EPS) and E-7 visa are separate systems. The Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, who came to Nepal, Lee Jeong-kyu clarified about the E-7 visa system in a courtesy meeting with Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Sharatsingh Bhandari on Tuesday. Have passed.

The special envoy Jeongkyu made it clear when the government sent the proposed procedure for sending skilled workers to Korea on an E-7 visa in an institutional form (through manpower). Unskilled workers are being taken through EPS for small employers in Korea. For this we take workers through E-9 visa. It is managed by the Ministry of Human Resources," Jeongkyu said. "We have brought in skilled manpower through the E-7 visa. It is managed by the Ministry of Law.

According to him, the recruitment process of workers is being carried forward through the government mechanism (GTUG) only in the EPS system. In EPS, labor is supplied through government mechanisms. However, workers are being recruited through employers and manpower companies (BTB) on E-7 visas," he said.

Jeongkyu said that for workers going on E-7 visas, just passing the language is not sufficient. Skilled workers will be taken in it. Workers must be skilled for specific jobs. There is a skill test for this," he said. From July 23, 2007, Korea signed a labor agreement with Nepal through EPS (E-9) to take unskilled workers through the government system. Since then, this agreement has been renewed every two years. Under the EPS, Korea has expanded its area by taking workers from manufacturing and agriculture to shipbuilding, forestry, service and route industries. From 2007 to 2024, there have been 110,553 workers, including 7,722 women.

EPS system is considered as a successful practice of transparent recruitment process in the field of foreign employment. However, since more than 100,000 Nepalis will participate in the language test in Korea, but only a small number will be taken, Nepal has started looking for opportunities in other fields other than EPS, Labor Minister Sharatsingh Bhandari said. Three times the number of workers who are taken through EPS have passed the language test and kept the roster. There is a provision that only one-third of the roster can go and the remaining two-thirds cannot go. So far, 30,209 people are on the roster.  

In the meeting with Jeongkyu, Minister of Labor Bhandari said that according to Korea's demand, Nepal has reached a stage where it can send not only unskilled labor but also skilled manpower (E-7 visa) through EPS. We have made procedures to send skilled workers to Korea. We have already sent a procedure through Foreign Affairs to get suggestions from Korea,' he said, 'the way will be open to send skilled manpower by addressing the suggestions received from Korea.' Nepalis are going to work. The minimum salary of Nepali going to this area is 17 lakh thousand won (about 1 lakh 48 thousand rupees). In the last 10 years, 2127 people have gone on this visa.

What is in the proposed procedure of E-7

?   In the procedures sent to Korea, it is mentioned that only manpower who have met the criteria can send skilled workers. For the purpose of collecting, verifying and facilitating the demand for E-7 visa system and providing necessary welfare services and work for Nepali workers, an agreement should be made with the organization association legally registered and licensed for this work in South Korea.

The ministry has made a standard that associations registered in Korea should have a no-fee agreement with manpower.

"Airfare, insurance, contribution to health examination welfare fund, contribution to social security fund and labor permit expenses for Nepali citizens to be sent to Korea for employment shall be borne by the employer and in the case of others, it shall be as prescribed by the ministry," the procedure states. Workers going to EPS will have to bear the entire cost of going to Korea, which is around Rs 120,000. Labor Minister Bhandari says that workers going to E-7 should not bear more than the cost of EPS.

'One should be aware of the risk'

EPS is a practice in which no one is under pressure, no one is required and anyone who has been selected in the language test is selected. Stakeholders insist that the Ministry of Labor should pay special attention to the issues that may pose a risk in such a system.

Purnachandra Bhattarai, a labor administration expert, says that it should be clear that there should be no risk in the EPS system when sending skilled manpower on E-7 visa. It is very good that skilled manpower will get direct opportunities. Nepal's best practice in the labor recruitment process is the EPS model, he said, adding that it is transparent. In order not to affect this, the government should pay attention to sending skilled manpower.

Migrant Trade Union (MTU) Korea President Uday Rai said that he is demanding the cancellation of the law ministry's policy decision to allow migrant workers from the private sector to be brought in on E-7 visas. If they start taking migrant workers with E-7 visa, EPS will not be closed or affected. The quota of migrant workers under this visa is very low,' he said, 'opposing the decision of the Ministry of Law of the Korean government to allow the private sector to bring migrant workers from different countries, we have requested the Korean government to adopt a selection process similar to that of EPS.' - break According to Rai, there is a high possibility that workers will be cheated when workers are sent through Manpower. Now workers are coming from different countries on E-7 visa. There is a complaint that they have to pay 12-13 thousand dollars in expenses,'' he said, 'this situation can also happen in Nepal.'