Abu Dhabi: Indians scouting for a job in the UAE are demanding a uniform system in India to issue ‘good conduct certificate’ required for a UAE employment visa.
The Government of India has not yet made any official announcement in this regard, although the UAE made the certificate mandatory from February 4.
Some southern Indian states such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have authorised their police departments to issue the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), which can be submitted for the purpose of ‘good conduct certificate’ in the UAE.
Dr Ahmad Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to India, told Gulf News last month that the PCC would meet the requirement for a UAE employment visa.
The Indian passport authorities have also been issuing the PCC for foreign employment purposes, which is accepted by many foreign nations. But the Government of India has not announced that this existing mechanism across India would act as a uniform system for the UAE job seekers.
Meanwhile, Kerala High Court ordered the Indian Government on March 15 to respond to the demands in a petition filed by a Dubai-based Indian lawyer who wants the government to streamline the procedures of issuing the PCC and declare the PCC issued by the passport authorities as equivalent to Good Conduct Certificate for the purpose of the UAE employment.
“Various police departments issue different types of PCCs on different letter heads and they lack uniformity and common national identity. The PCC issued by the passport authorities, after due verification with the police authorities, is printed on the letterhead of the Ministry of External Affairs [MEA], bearing the national emblem,” advocate Femin Panikkassery, the petitioner, told Gulf News.
A senior official at the Indian Embassy told Gulf News on Monday that the embassy had already submitted its recommendation in this regard to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The ministry is actively considering the recommendation and will take a decision for its practical implementation, he said without revealing the details of the recommendation.
He said Indian job seekers are getting the PCC from the passport authorities across India and police departments in some states, which could be submitted to the UAE authorities for employment visa. “No one’s visa application is held up for not getting a PCC from Indian authorities.”
The Indian Embassy and the Consulate General are also issuing PCCs through the outsourced agent, BLS International. “It is also accepted by the UAE authorities. No one has come back to us, saying it was not accepted,” he said.
