This country profile describes examples of well-developed areas of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (hereafter referred to as Nepal) migration governance structures and areas with potential for further development, as evaluated by the six domains of the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI). These address migrants’ rights, a “whole-of-government” approach, partnerships, socioeconomic well-being of migrants, the mobility dimensions of crises, and safe and orderly migration. 

Click the icons on the wheel to explore the key findings.  

The Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) initiative is a policy-benchmarking programme led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and implemented with the support of the Economist Intelligence Unit. Funding is provided by IOM Member States.

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas: 

• Immigrants with any type of visa pay the same fees as nationals at government-run/private hospitals and health clinics. 

• Immigrants with any type of visa can send their children to government-run schools and pay the same fees as nationals. 

• Family reunification visas are available for families of immigrants on work, student, non-tourist, non-residential and residential visas, as well as for individuals who have businesses in Nepal.   

Areas with potential for further development: 

• There are no specific provisions for non-nationals in Nepal to access social security.  

• Not all immigrants with temporary legal status are entitled to apply for an indefinite residence permit.  

• The path to citizenship is not guaranteed for permanent residents.  

• Nepali citizens cannot vote from embassies or consulates abroad.

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas: 

• The Department of Immigration is the principal authority for executing and implementing the immigration laws of Nepal, tasked with monitoring, controlling and regulating entry, exit and stay of immigrants in Nepal.  

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), as well as the diplomatic missions, are the government entities responsible for enacting emigration policy and engaging the diaspora.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has a dedicated division for diaspora engagement to organize diaspora-related activities. 

• The National Census Office conducts a census every 10 years, containing in-depth information on absent population per geographical location. 

• The Department of Foreign Employment tracks and maintains data on regular migrants. Annual Labour Migration for Employment Status reports are available on the Department of Foreign Employment’s website. 

Areas with potential for further development:  

• There is no single comprehensive government plan specific to migration.  

• There is a lack of a separate formal coordination mechanism on migration issues.  

• There is limited coordination across migration levels of government on migration issues, as there are no formal arrangements for consultations with decentralized levels of government.

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas: 

• Nepal currently chairs the Colombo Process, a Regional Consultative Process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour for countries of origin in Asia.  

• The country also plays a key role in the Abu Dhabi Dialogue.  

• Nepal is part of, and active in, the Bali Process, as well as a Member State of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).  

• The Government of Nepal has signed bilateral agreements with seven major destination countries: Qatar (2005), the Republic of Korea (2007), the United Arab Emirates (2007), Bahrain (2008), Japan (2009), Israel (2015), and Jordan (2017).  

• The country formally engages civil society organizations and the diaspora in agenda-setting, discussions on migration issues, and implementation of migration-related policies.  

Areas with potential for further development  

• Nepal is not yet part of a regional agreement promoting regional labour mobility.  

• There is scope for more engagement of the private sector in agenda-setting and policy implementation regarding broad migration issues.

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas:  

• The country has developed mechanisms to protect the rights of nationals working abroad through provisions in bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding with destination countries. 

• The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security has developed a procedure for the management of a national honour and award for returnee migrant entrepreneurs, to the returnee migrants to utilize their skills, capital and experience in productive sectors. 

• Nepal has formalized criteria for recognizing foreign college and university degree accreditation. 

Areas with potential for further development:  

• Nepal is yet to develop information tools on demand for foreign workers in the country.  

• Nepal could also further develop programmes for managing labour immigration based on labour market demand.  

• International students may need to pay higher fees than nationals in public institutions.  

• There are no specific schemes that allow international students to work during or after their studies.

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas: 

• In September 2017, Nepal passed the comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which provides overarching guidance for the management of disasters.  

• The National Emergency Operation Centre is the coordination and communication focal point for information during a disaster across Nepal. The Centre coordinates with government line agencies and other response and recovery stakeholders.  

• A Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) portal collects, analyses and disseminates information. The Portal is updated on a daily basis and stores information about disaster risks and damages.  

• National development strategies include measures regarding displacement.  

• The National Reconstruction Authority has guidelines on integrated settlement development, vulnerable settlement relocation and rehabilitation, and post-earthquake reconstruction programmes.  

Areas with potential for further development 

• There are no specific provisions for migrants in the DRR Strategic Action Plan. The DRR and Management Policy, does not explicitly address the displacement impacts of disasters.  

• Communications systems in the event of crisis do not take into consideration the specific vulnerabilities immigrants face. For example, while the landing page of the Government of Nepal DRR portal is in English, the majority of the documents available are presented in Nepali only. 

• The country has no formal measures to make exceptions to the immigration procedures for immigrants whose countries of origin are experiencing crises. 

Migration Governance: Examples of well-developed areas: 

• The Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs makes immigration rules publicly available, with a list of visa types and information for visitors to Nepal. The website offers information in five languages: Nepali, English, Chinese, Spanish and French. 

• In terms of monitoring human trafficking activities, reports and publications are released periodically. The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens and the National Human Rights Commission publish a national report on human trafficking annually, and the Nepal Police collects data on incidents of human trafficking and publishes annual reports on organized crime and human trafficking. 

• The Ministry of Home Affairs handles border control and security issues.  

• Where there is no active presence of Department of Immigration staff, the Nepal Armed Police ensures border control. 

Areas with potential for further development:  

• There is no centralized technology system to monitor visa overstays.  

• There are no formal government programmes for attracting Nepalese nationals who have emigrated to return or to facilitate the reintegration of returnees.