THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The centre has issued orders strictly banning foreign employer or foreign recruiting agencies from collecting service charges from job-seekers for recruitment done in India. Foreign recruiting agencies are also banned from making direct recruitment from the country. According to sources, the fresh order was issued as there has been confusion over the matter. Several court cases were even pending in connection with the recruitment done by foreign recruiting agencies directly from the state.
The order issued by the ministry of external affairs the other day also said that foreign recruiting agencies could make recruitment from India only through recruiting agencies in the country that are registered with the protector of emigrants. The foreign recruitment agency will also have to make a registration on e-Migrate system of the external affairs ministry and it has to be cleared by the Indian missions concerned.
Sources said that though the foreign agencies were banned from collecting any free from candidates, the Indian recruiting agencies could charge the prescribed service charges. The fresh order will be applicable for recruitment to countries like the Gulf countries for which emigration clearance is required. Sources said that the Emigration Act did not clearly define the restrictions on the operations of foreign recruiting agencies directly in the state. This issue often came up when foreign employers engage any foreign recruiting agency for bulk recruitment. The ministry also used to receive many representations over the manner.
