Government to set criteria for visit visas

KATHMANDU: The government will set criteria for providing visit visas for citizens going to the Gulf countries. A committee has been formed and tasked to formulate the criteria after analysing the real situation and studying the problems being faced by the people going abroad. The committee has been formed under the coordination of Phadindra Mani Pokhrel, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs. The members of the committee are Buddhisagar Lamichhane, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; Shesh Narayan Poudel, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security; Haris Chandra Ghimire, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bhim Prasad Dhakal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) at Tribhuvan International Airport and Prakash Chandra Adhikari, Director (Under Secretary) Department of Immigration. Under Secretary of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board Dinbandhu Subedi is the member secretary of the committee. The Home Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the committee has been given a 15-day mandate to submit a report on the criteria for issuing visit visas, including facilitation of movement at Tribhuvan International Airport, improvement of the immigration system, improvement of international flight schedule, management of transit passengers, solution of problems faced by workers abroad. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) barred all Nepalis from travelling to Gulf countries and Malaysia on visit visas from January 24 until further order. READ ALSO:

• Govt bars citizens from visiting Gulf countries, Malaysia on visit visa