Employment Abroad: Sharp spurt in licence applications as Punjab cracks down in illegal recruitment agencies

The spurt comes close on the heels of a Punjab Police crackdown after the PoE office flagged the increasing number of instances where unscrupulous travel agents and agencies were allegedly advertising job vacancies abroad on social media without having RA licence.

The RA licence is issued under the Emigration Act, 1983, by the Protector General of Emigrants, Ministry of External Affairs.

The Punjab Police crackdown began on August 27 and 28, when 20 FIRs were registered against travel agents/agencies in various districts of Punjab who were flouting the rules to advertise employment opportunities abroad on social media platforms. Subsequently, 18 more such FIRs were registered by mid-October.

The FIRs were registered under Sections 24 (which deals with offences and penalties for contravention of, among others), 10 (no person to function as recruiting agent without a valid certificate), 16 (recruitment by employers to be through recruiting agent or under permit), and 25 (which deals with offences by companies) of The Emigration Act. The offences are punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and with a fine which extends to Rs 2,000.

The PoE Chandigarh office had also pointed out that a number of visa consultants and travel agents operating under the licence issued under Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation (PTPR) Act, 2012, were engaging in overseas recruitment activities and were conducting business of work visa, work permits in violation of the Emigration regulations.

“Our investigations corroborated the same as many travel agents were indulging in overseas recruitment activities in the guise of possessing a licence under the PTPR Act, 2012, which does not authorise them to engage in such activities,” a senior Punjab Police officer told The Indian Express.

An official said the PoE Chandigarh office has recommended that the PTPR Act, 2012, be amended to incorporate a clause governing financial security, which could be forfeited in case of any violation or “misuse” of the licence by the holder.

Talking to The Indian Express, Yashu Deep Singh, MEA Deputy Secretary and PoE, Chandigarh, said, “The RA licence is aimed at ensuring that recruiting agents do not indulge in any fraudulent activities. Under the Emigration Act, a recruiting agent needs to furnish financial security in the form of a bank guarantee. The security could be forfeited if the RA licence holder indulges in any fraudulent activity or violates the rules.”

Singh said upon receiving the application for an RA licence, a police verification of directors and partners, if any, is carried out apart from personal inspection of the premises of the RA facility or firm. He said the process to apply for RA licence was completely online and the PoE Chandigarh also holds video conferencing mode seminars on every Monday and Tuesday to facilitate those willing to apply for RA licence.

Referring to alleged illegal practices by several travel agents flagged by his office, Singh said the analysis and investigations into the complaints received on the eMigrate portal, which, among other things, also caters to grievances, revealed that several unscrupulous travel agents who did not have the RA licence were widely advertising overseas employment opportunities on social media platforms to target gullible aspirants.