“Why can’t your husband go with you?”: Officials grill female applicants for work permits
Every Pakistani married woman who wants to proceed abroad on work visa needs signed NOC from husband.
KARACHI:
Every Pakistani married woman who wants to proceed abroad on a work visa needs a signed NOC from her husband before she receives the Protectorate of Emigrants’ approval, The Express Tribune has learned.
The office requires the husband’s presence before a director as he signs the NOC and often, officials will question why the woman wishes to travel abroad alone. “Why can’t your husband go with you? Have you two had a fight? Are you separated?” are some of the questions that women say they are asked during the application process. “I have never been humiliated like this before,” said a senior executive of a company.
Leading Pakistani lawyers were baffled to hear about this requirement, which is diligently enforced by the seven protectorates around the country. The Emigration Ordinance 1979 and its rules do not say anything about this particular condition, the lawyers say. There is no law in Pakistan that bars a woman from going abroad to work without a husband’s permission, says Farooq Ahmed, a Supreme Court lawyer. “The NOC is only needed when the couple is separated and there is a dispute over the children,” he said.
“I am really not sure about this. I would have to check with the relevant officer,” said Director General of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment Habibur Rehman when asked about the verification process.
“We were lenient but a few months ago a woman went to Saudi Arabia and her husband went to court and said that she left without his permission. Now the lawyers and even FIA are grilling us. Why should we suffer?” an official at the Protectorate explained.
But those seeking work permits insist that the ‘rules’ are just a money-making scheme. “The officials don’t accept just any NOC. You’re told you have to buy a standard NOC form from the Protectorate and only that form is accepted. Why is that?” questioned one male applicant.
Many women say they have resorted to making applications through travel agencies. The rate for processing, including official fees of Rs6,500, averages Rs18,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.
Every Pakistani married woman who wants to proceed abroad on a work visa needs a signed NOC from her husband before she receives the Protectorate of Emigrants’ approval, The Express Tribune has learned.
The office requires the husband’s presence before a director as he signs the NOC and often, officials will question why the woman wishes to travel abroad alone. “Why can’t your husband go with you? Have you two had a fight? Are you separated?” are some of the questions that women say they are asked during the application process. “I have never been humiliated like this before,” said a senior executive of a company.
Leading Pakistani lawyers were baffled to hear about this requirement, which is diligently enforced by the seven protectorates around the country. The Emigration Ordinance 1979 and its rules do not say anything about this particular condition, the lawyers say. There is no law in Pakistan that bars a woman from going abroad to work without a husband’s permission, says Farooq Ahmed, a Supreme Court lawyer. “The NOC is only needed when the couple is separated and there is a dispute over the children,” he said.
“I am really not sure about this. I would have to check with the relevant officer,” said Director General of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment Habibur Rehman when asked about the verification process.
“We were lenient but a few months ago a woman went to Saudi Arabia and her husband went to court and said that she left without his permission. Now the lawyers and even FIA are grilling us. Why should we suffer?” an official at the Protectorate explained.
But those seeking work permits insist that the ‘rules’ are just a money-making scheme. “The officials don’t accept just any NOC. You’re told you have to buy a standard NOC form from the Protectorate and only that form is accepted. Why is that?” questioned one male applicant.
Many women say they have resorted to making applications through travel agencies. The rate for processing, including official fees of Rs6,500, averages Rs18,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.