1. He/she can apply to the Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate in his district and indicate that he/she wishes to migrate for purposes of work in one of the occupations defined in Article 2B to the NER. He/she will be required to fill up a form where he must set down his/her name and address, father’s name, age, bank account number (if any) and desire for wishing to migrate and two passport-size photos of himself/herself. Required numbers of labour force will be indicated to the respective district authorities in these countries.

2. Once such applications reach a requisite/economic figure as may be decided by the district authorities, this information will be onpassed to authorities in the NER where a special unit (operations) locates labour force needs for specific areas and potential employers. Connectivity through the Internet will be the best way of communicating this information between authorities in the two countries. Once the location, agreed employers and numbers of workers are upon, Work Permits may be issued to the group at the border which are then transported (at employer’s expense) to the site of work. Copies of that permit are filed with the respective Bangladesh/Nepal/Bhutan authority, with the employer and with the State Government at state capital as well as with local district police.

B. The Work Permits will be have three sections:

1. A Group Permit that attaches all the details (including passport photos) of the workers

2. Location of work place and identity of employer and the nearest police station.

3. The proposed duration of residence.

C. The Work Permits are not visas and do not entitle their holders to do any but the above prescribed jobs, occupations for a limited period. Any deviation will be punishable under relevant provisions of the law and lead to immediate repatriation.

D. The Employer will be made legally responsible if any employee under the WP scheme is found missing.

E. WP members must report to the local police station in a group every 180 days without fail.

F. At the end of a year, if the WP members so wish, they can apply to the local district authority for a year’s extension of the said permit. The permit will not be extendable beyond two years.

G. Foreign nationals under the GP system will be entitled to use Indian banking channels to repatriate Indian rupees to their bank accounts in their respective countries under a special bilateral agreement.

Article 4: Rules:

1. Those who migrate for economic reasons under the WP scheme will be entitled to the same rights as their contemporaries in India under existing labour legislation, including protection of their civil (human) rights under India law, such as

1.A. hours of work

1.B. areas of work (geographical)

1.C. occupation

Footnotes

Chapter One

1. ‘Immigration Theory for a New Century’, in Immigrant Adaptation and Native-born Responses in the Making of Americans, (eds.) Josh DeWind, Charles Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, International Migration Review, Vol. 31, Winter 1997