Thiruvananthapuram: UAE job aspirants from Kerala are eagerly awaiting a clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) or UAE government on the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) or Good Conduct Certificate for jobs in the UAE, which has been made mandatory from February. While candidates from most states are seeking UAE jobs with the PCC issued by the Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) under the MEA with a fee of Rs 500, the UAE counsulate in Kerala has been insisting on PCC or Good Conduct Certificate issued by the local police for which the candidates have to spend about Rs 6,000.
An UAE-based lawyer Femin Panikkassery approached the Kerala High Court after the UAE consulate was learnt to have rejected PCCs issued by RPOs in the state. The HC sought a clarification from the centre last week. Some candidates had also complained to RPOs that PCCs issued by RPOs were being rejected. Subsequently, the MEA is learnt to have taken up the matter with its counterparts in the UAE.
“I hope the centre will issue a clarification soon that the PCC issued by the RPOs are valid and not the one issued by the police. The PCCs or good conduct certificate issued by the police are even of different formats and hence are creating confusion too,” Mr. Panikkassery told DC. Many candidates are also upset over the cumbersome processs for getting the PCC in Kerala. After getting the certificate from the local police after paying a fee of Rs. 500, it has to be again submitted for attestation by the state home department, external affairs department in New Delhi and the UAE consulate, for which the candidates have to spend around Rs. 6,000 and wait for up to two weeks. Whereas, the RPOs issue PCCs within a day or two.
“Many of our friends in other states are going abroad with the PCCs issued by the RPOs, while we have to spend more money and wait more as the consulate is insisting on PCCs issued by the local police,” said a UAE-job aspirant hailing from Thiruvananthapuram. The PCCs issued by the local police also did not have a uniform format, while the one issued by RPOs have a uniform format and also have the photograph of the candidate. Many other countries like UK, USA, Australia and even Kuwait, which are in the Gulf Cooperation Council, have been accepting the PCC issued by RPOs. DC had earlier reported that some private agencies were charging exorbitantly from candidates for attestation services.
