The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has further liberalized the emigration system by extending the “Emigration Check not Required” (ECNR) status to 173 countries w.e.f 29th December 2006.The Ministry has issued a notification under section 41 of the Emigration Act.
Under the Emigration Act, 1983, anybody whose passport is endorsed as “Emigration Check Required” (ECR passport) has to obtain emigration clearance (in case of employment visa) or suspension of emigration check requirement (in case of visit visa) from the office of Protector of Emigrants. However, this requirement had earlier been dispensed with in case of 53 countries. Such countries are called Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) countries.
Now emigration clearance or suspension of emigration check requirement is necessary only in case of 18 countries in the world. These countries are United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand and Iraq (emigration banned).
Recently, the Ministry had also relaxed the educational criteria for ECNR passport from class-12 to class-10 as a part of its efforts to liberlize the emigration system.
PKM/SR
(Release ID :24047)