Foreign employers hiring Indian blue-collar workers have been directed not to share their login details for Indian online recruitment portal with recruiting agents after some generated fake job offers using those details without the knowledge of the former.

In some cases, emigration clearance for workers was also sought through the eMigrate online portal without the workers’ visas being obtained by the employers concerned.

In an advisory issued on August 11, a copy of which is with Gulf News, India’s Ministry of External Affairs advised foreign employers “as a matter of abundant precaution, not to share their eMigrate login ID and password with any recruiting agent under any circumstances”.

The ministry also advised foreign employers to change their passwords periodically to avoid any scope for unauthorised access to the recruitment portal www.emigrate.gov.in

The recruiting agents in India have also been strictly advised not to seek or use the eMigrate login ID and password of any foreign employer. “If any recruiting agent is found doing so, suo motu action, including deactivation of the account of the users concerned, shall be taken under the relevant laws and rules,” the advisory added.

Deepak H. Chhabria, chairman of Mumbai-based Federation of Indian Manpower Export Promotion Councils and Associations, told Gulf News that some unscrupulous agents had changed the names of foreign employers in the UAE after copying visas in PDF formats and deleted original details. Then they added the name of the employer in whose name they obtained emigration clearance for workers by using the original foreign employer’s login details on the eMigrate portal.

“Recently one such group secured emigration clearance for workers in different foreign employers’ names. They had one copy of the forged visa on which emigration clearance was obtained and another copy of the actual employer’s visa. Some of the workers presented both visas to the Dubai immigration counter and were caught,” said Chhabria.

He claimed both the employers were called in by UAE authorities. “The employer in whose name visas were forged claimed that he had never issued any visas to the recruiting agents whereas the other one confirmed having issued genuine visas held by these workers. On inquiry by the Indian mission, one employer confirmed that as he was unable to register his company in eMigrate system, he had provided his details to one agent, who later raised the demand for workers’ emigration clearance and forged the visas without his knowledge.”

Chhabria appreciated the ministry’s direction to foreign employers not to share their login details and recruiting agents not to seek them and manipulate job offers.

“You can take action against registered recruiting agents…But the question is how will you take action against unauthorised agents,” he asked, calling for stronger action to eliminate the presence of unauthorised agents from the recruitment procedures.

Source: gulfnews.com