NORKA warns against job scams on visitor visas: Legal risks for overseas job seekers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: NORKA has warned against frauds by offering jobs abroad on visitor visas. NORKA CEO Ajith Kolassery also warned that if recruitment agencies promise that those who arrive in a foreign country on a visitor's visa will get a job, it should be recognized as fraud.

A visitor visa is only a permit to visit the country. It should also be noted that it is not a work permit. If recruitment agencies promise to get a job on a visitor visa, it is wrong. No country will allow work on a visitor visa. If you go to a foreign country believing such a promise, it may lead to legal problems and if you are caught, you may have to face jail time. It is also possible that there will be a situation where it is not possible to return to India. Often the job offered by the agency is not what you get when you go there. There is no proper salary, food, accommodation or protection of labor laws. Many people who go like this do not come back. There is also a situation where it is not even possible to know what their condition is. Norka Roots CEO said that such people cannot be contacted later and it is worrying

It has come to light that many people who went to South East Asian countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam have been scammed by believing the false promises of the agencies on visitor visa. In this case, job seekers should ensure that they go outside the country for work only through licensed recruitment agencies approved by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. Job seekers must understand the validity of the work visa, the information of the employing company, the performance of the recruitment agency and the opinion of previous employers. The Chief Executive Officer also informed that through the Immigrate portal, job seekers can easily check whether the recruitment agency is approved by the Union Ministry of External Affairs.