Emigration clearance not needed from Oct 1

The important emigration reform would be implemented from October 1, he said.

Under the Emigration Act 1983, a person holding a passport with Emigration Check Required (ECR) stamp is supposed to obtain emigration clearance from the Protector of Emigrants (POE) before leaving for overseas employment.

The Emigration Act does not cover ECR passport holders who travel overseas for visits other than for employment.

However, for the last two decades administrative instructions had been in force making it necessary for them to obtain Emigration Clearance Requirement Suspension (ECRS), Ravi said.

“The ECRS system has no statutory basis,” said the Minister in a statement laid on the table of the House by him amid uproar created by the opposition NDA over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

“The ECRS system has led to considerable inconvenience and harassment to passengers. It has resulted in corruption in POE offices and a nexus between unscrupulous recruiting agents and middlemen resulting in the exploitation of a large number of poor people,” Ravi said.