ISLAMABAD – The federal government has made it necessary for individuals looking for employment abroad to register on the “PakSkills” platform.
Starting November 19, no protector will be issued on passports without a PakSkills registration, reports said.
Reducing the risk of human trafficking
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis introduced the platform to reduce the risks associated with human trafficking.
Registration through the PakSkills app is completely free and requires applicants to provide personal details, including their national ID, passport number, educational qualifications, and information about the intended overseas employment.
Get PakSkills Certificate
Authorities said that individuals travelling abroad for work must obtain a PakSkills certificate, and failure to do so will prevent the issuance of a protector on their passport.
This initiative is aimed at safeguarding overseas job seekers and reducing threats linked to human smuggling.
Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had implemented a new regulation requiring Pakistani citizens travelling for employment to submit an affidavit signed by a senior government officer (Grade 18 or 19).
The affidavit confirms that the traveller will work only at the specified job location and will not attempt to enter Europe illegally.
Visa Protector Fee Update
Pakistani citizens who have obtained the work visa of any type are legally bound to get his service agreement for the job in the host country protected from the respective Protectorate of Emigrants (PE) office in the country before travelling to the host country.
After getting the protector stamp on passport, a Pakistani, who holds a visa of a foreign country can enjoy following benefits:
- Complete legal protection is provided.
- Entitled to full assistance from Pak-mission in the country of employment.
- Legal assistance can be sought from the Community Welfare Attache, Pak-Embassy in the country of employment, in case the employer violates the FSA.
- Problems faced by families can be mitigated to an extent.
Protector Fee for Work Visa
The total protector fee for those who got direct employment in Australia stands at Rs9,200. It includes Rs4,000 in wake of OPF fund, Rs2,500 Insurance Premium, Rs2,500 for the registration fee and Rs200 OEC fee.
