Abu Dhabi: Indian residents in the capital welcomed the e-Migrate online platform launched last month by the Indian government to prevent fraudulent job offers.

Effective from June 1, e-Migrate bids to build a connection between Foreign Employers (FEs) wishing to hire Indians. Currently, only Indian blue-collar workers and nurses can find job listings on the www.emigrate.gov.in website, although a move to roll out the service to more professionals is under way.

“I am originally from Kerala, India, where fraudulent job offers are always being communicated to Indian citizens,” Abdul Mohsin, 28, a marketing manager in the capital, told Gulf News. “There have been several incidents where fake Indian employers place newspaper advertisements about job offers abroad that don’t exist and, unfortunately, many tend to fall for them,” he added.

Illicit recruiters sometimes charge highly for their services, which can be unaffordable for working class citizens, Abdul Mohsin said.

“Victims usually end up taking loans and selling their own houses to be able to afford the fee, consequently losing everything they own for a job that never existed in the first place. These people are willing to go to any extent with the hope of finding a source of income,” he revealed.

Other Indian residents believe that the system will save time for those who come to the UAE solely to look for a job.

“My friend came here for about two months and we visited as well as called about nine recruitment agencies, all of whom were either closed or unavailable. It was a waste of time. I think that e-Migrate will hopefully prevent such situations from arising,” said Mohammad Hassan, a 28 year-old flight simulation engineer.

Hassan also highlighted the importance of linking the system with appropriate local government entities to ensure that the job contracts and offer letters match.

Similarly, Abdul Mohsin believes that it is vital for authorities to ensure that the system is capable of handling the volumes of traffic expected without causing delays in clearances.

Voicing a different opinion, Shreyansi Gupta, another marketing professional, argued that this service will only benefit tech-savvy individuals. “The false job offers usually target India’s lower segment of the society, who generally go through an agency or a person, so I am not sure if the e-Migrate system will be helpful to them,” she explained.

Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News