Nepal Divides UAE Recruitment Jurisdiction, Tightens Demand Rules

HIGHLIGHTS

•Embassy and Consulate jurisdiction divided to streamline Nepali worker recruitment in the UAE
• Demand letters now require Chamber attestation of both demand and employment contract, File removed from system in 25 days if not resubmitted. 
• MOHRE quota and job designation must exactly match the demand submitted
• Detailed list of all Nepali workers made mandatory; WPS alone no longer sufficient
• Companies held accountable directly; strict action warned against false or duplicate filings

NISCHAL DAHAL

UAE, With the objective of making the management of Nepali foreign employment in the UAE more transparent, accountable, and uniform, a clear division of responsibilities has been implemented between the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of Nepal in Dubai.
Under the new arrangement, the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi will oversee all matters related to the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain regions, while the Consulate General of Nepal in Dubai will handle all affairs related to the remaining six Emirates—Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah.
Along with this restructuring, the Consulate General of Nepal in Dubai has introduced some different and stricter rules than those of the Abu Dhabi Embassy in the process of attesting demand letters for foreign employment.

Stricter Measures in Demand Attestation

According to the new system, it will no longer be sufficient to have only the demand letter attested by the Chamber of Commerce, as was previously the case. From now on, along with the demand letter, the Standard Employment Contract must also be mandatorily attested by the Chamber of Commerce. In other words, both documents must be chamber-attested before a demand can be submitted.

Furthermore, if file remains unedited and resubmitted after rejection for twenty five days, it gets removed from the system hence new process is to be started. If in draft it gets removed in five days if not submitted .

Mandatory Clarity in Quota and Designation

Regardless of how many total quotas a company may have under the UAE’s MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation), when submitting a demand letter, only the exact number specified in the MOHRE-issued quota paper—corresponding precisely to the category of workers being requested—will be accepted. The correct and matching designation must also be clearly stated.
This strict requirement is expected to curb practices such as submitting arbitrary numbers, altering job titles, or providing vague and unclear information.

Detailed Information on Nepali Workers Now Mandatory

For Nepali workers currently employed in a company, submission of only the WPS (Wage Protection System) report will no longer be sufficient. The Consulate General of Nepal in Dubai has now made it mandatory to prepare and upload, via the online portal, a separate, clear, and updated list that includes the following details of all Nepali workers employed in the company:
Name
Phone number
Designation
Passport number

“Effort of Completing the Process Online Without Physical Visits”

According to an official at the Consulate General, efforts are underway to create an environment where demand attestation work can be completed entirely through online means without the need for physical meetings. The official stated that all demand letters will be approved based on a single, uniform standard, with no favoritism or discrimination.

Policy to Hold Companies Accountable, over Agents

The official also drew attention to serious issues that have been observed in the demand letter process. According to him:
“Demand letters are supposed to be filled out by the company itself, but in practice, agents or manpower companies often do so. We have seen cases where the registration details of a single company appear across multiple companies, or false information is submitted.”
Because such weaknesses make it difficult to directly coordinate with the concerned company if problems arise in the future, the Consulate General has adopted a policy of establishing direct contact with UAE-based companies, facilitating the process accordingly, and holding the companies themselves accountable.

Stricter Action if found Double Dealing

The Consulate General has urged all stakeholders to immediately report any form of double dealing, false information, or irregularities identified during the demand attestation process. Officials have also expressed their commitment to taking the strictest possible action if such activities are confirmed.
The new system is expected to make the recruitment process of Nepali workers in the UAE more transparent, digital, accountable, and secure. It is believed that this will reduce documentation-related irregularities, agent-centered practices, and the risk of worker exploitation, while strengthening trust among companies, the government, and workers alike.