Bureau of Immigration has warned Indian ECR passport holders traveling to ECR countries on non-work visas against taking up employment abroad. There have been cases where Indian workers have travelled abroad on a tourist visa and then relocated to ECR countries so as to avoid the Protectors of Emigrants (POE) Certificates. This has resulted in the exploitation of ECR passport holders in workplaces abroad.
Therefore, the Bureau of Immigration has cautioned Indian nationals holding ECR passports travelling to ECR countries on non-work visas without a POE certificate not take up Employment in ECR countries, as they may be subjected to a harsh work environment and are vulnerable to exploitation without any legal protection or recourse.
Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) under the Ministry of External Affairs is the authority responsible for protecting the interests of Indian workers going abroad.
POE for ECR passport
ECR passport holders can travel to Dubai or any other ECR country for purposes other than employment that do not require emigration clearance. If they wish to travel to an ECR country for work, the POE certificate is a must.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, any person havingan Emigration Check Required (ECR) endorsed passport and going to any of the 18 ECR countries to take up employment requires emigration clearance from the Protectors of Emigrants (POEs).
Offices of the Protectors of Emigrants under the Ministry of External Affairs grant emigration clearance to persons who are holding ECR Passports and are going to any of the notified 18 ECR countries on an Employment Visa, for Overseas Employment.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Lok Sabha Question No. 1188, answered on February 6, 2026, there are 19 notified Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries.
However, ECR passport holders going to any ECR country for purposes other than employment do not require emigration clearance. No specific mention of ECNR is made on the Passports and the ones not endorsed as ECR automatically belong to the ECNR category.
The Emigration Clearance sticker shall be pasted by the POE office only if the individual having an Emigration Check Required (ECR) Passport, approaches the POE office himself or through a Recruiting Agent. ECR Endorsements on the passports are stamped by the Regional Passport Officers.