More red tape

More red tape

Mandatory registration for emigrant students and workers hampers aspirations
In what is sure to add to existing bureaucratic hurdles, government is proposing mandatory registration of all Indians proceeding for overseas employment or planning to pursue studies abroad. The proposed measures are part of the draft Emigration Bill 2019 which is currently seeking public feedback. But the intention and utility of the proposals need to be questioned here. According to government, the mandatory registration is aimed at assisting Indian nationals working and studying abroad in times of emergency. While this may be understandable for Indians in countries with security risks such as war-torn Yemen and Syria, it doesn’t make sense for first-world destinations.

Most Indian students seeking a foreign degree head to countries such as the US, Canada, UK and Australia. These are places with much better public infrastructure than India. Therefore, mandatory registration for such students will be meaningless. True, many Indians seeking employment abroad head to the Middle East where problematic cases do surface from time to time. But it is the job of Indian missions in these countries to assist Indian nationals. Pre-registration before departure will make no difference.

And if the aim is to check recruitment agencies illegally facilitating migration, that too can be tackled without hampering bona fide students and workers. In short, the mandatory registration is at best another layer of bureaucratic red tape government loves imposing, and at worst an impediment on emigration itself. This directly contradicts government’s stated aim of facilitating ease of living. At the end of the day, rich countries need migrants to do jobs that locals are unqualified or unwilling to do. And relatively poor countries like India need to send their people abroad for jobs, remittances and to ease the domestic population burden. When such migrants return, they enrich the economy with their newfound skills and wealth. Government should be facilitating emigration, not erecting hurdles.