Parliament Question: Indian migrated abroad for study and employment

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO- 75 FOR ANSWER ON- 05.02.2026 INDIAN MIGRATED ABROAD FOR STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT *75 SHRI ABDUL WAHAB Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the number of Indian citizens who have migrated abroad for employment and for higher education separately during the last three years, year-wise and country-wise; (b) the major destination countries and sectors of employment and fields of study involved; (c) the steps taken to regulate recruitment practices and prevent exploitation of Indian workers overseas; (d) the measures to safeguard the interests and welfare of Indian students abroad; and (e) whether any bilateral agreements or arrangements exist with host countries in this regard? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. ***** 1STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) to (E) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 75 FOR REPLY ON 05.02.2026 REGARDING INDIAN MIGRATED ABROAD FOR STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT ASKED BY SHRI ABDUL WAHAB. (a & b) The Ministry of External Affairs does not maintain comprehensive data of Indian citizens migrating abroad for employment. However, this Ministry maintains data on those Indian emigrant workers who hold Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and emigrate to the notified ECR countries, for employment purposes only, after obtaining necessary Emigration Clearance from the Protector of Emigrants (POE) through the eMigrate Portal maintained by this Ministry. Country-wise data of Emigration Clearances issued to Indian workers during past three years is given at Annexure-A. Similarly, the MEA does not have comprehensive database of Indian students studying abroad. Data estimate based on voluntary registration of Indian students at Missions/Posts abroad is at Annexure-B. (c) As per Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, no person/agency can function as Recruiting Agent (RA) without a valid Registration Certificate (RC) issued by the Registering Authority i.e. Protector General of Emigrants (PGE). The process of registration of RA is done through eMigrate portal, which brings all the stakeholders, including the RAs, Foreign Employers (FEs) and the prospective emigrants on a common platform. Whenever any complaint against a registered RA is received, a Show Cause Notice (SCN) is issued to the concerned RA, under Section 14 of the Emigration Act, 1983, directing them to resolve the complaint. In case, the RA fails to respond to the SCN or reply is not found to be satisfactory, their RC can be cancelled or suspended for 30 days as per Section 14(2) of the Emigration Act, 1983. The order of suspension can be revoked by the Competent Authority only after consultation with all the stakeholders and after ensuring that the complaint has been fully resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. Ministry has also published a list of 3505 unregistered RAs on the eMigrate portal till December 2025 to caution the prospective emigrants. Advisories/alerts on fraudulent/illegal recruiting agencies are also hosted on this portal. (d) The Government of India accords highest priority to the safety, protection and wellbeing of Indians living abroad including workers and students. There are established channels to enable them to reach out to the Embassy/Consulate whenever they need assistance. The Embassy/Consulate can be contacted through walk-in, email, multilingual 24x7 emergency numbers, WhatsApp number, grievance redressal portal like MADAD/CPGRAMS/eMigrate, and social media channels. There are also dedicated Labour Wings for handling such matters, where there is a sizeable number of Indian migrant workers. Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendras have been set up in key locations such as New Delhi, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah to provide guidance and counseling to the Indian workers. On receipt of any complaint or grievance from Indian workers, the Embassy/Consulate pro-actively takes it up with the concerned Foreign Employer (FE) and, if needed, the work place of the aggrieved worker is also visited. The issues are also taken up with the local Labour Department and other concerned authority of the host country for redressal. Open Houses and Consular Camps are also organized in remote areas to get feedback from Indian workers residing in such areas and to address their grievances, if any. On receipt of complaint from or on behalf of the emigrant worker, the same is taken up pro-actively with concerned Foreign Employer (FE) and, if required, the 2work place of the aggrieved worker is also visited. The complaints pertaining to employment issues are also taken up with the local labour department and other relevant authorities of the host country for prompt redressal. Further, as additional safeguard for protection and safety of the female workers, including domestic sector workers, Government has authorized only State run Recruiting Agencies (RAs) to recruit Indian female workers holding ECR category passports for overseas employment in Gulf and other notified ECR Countries through the e-Migrate Portal. Moreover, there is a minimum age criteria of 30 years for female workers holding ECR category passport for overseas employment to protect them against exploitation. Indian Missions/Posts also make efforts to maintain regular contact with Indian students enrolled in foreign universities in their jurisdictions, brief them on potential challenges, risks, and precautions to be taken while studying overseas, including issue of advisories from time to time. Any complaint related to misleading academic programmes or adverse experiences by the students are promptly taken up with the concerned educational institutions and, if required, with authorities of the host country for necessary action. The Missions/Posts are especially vigilant in countries affected by political instability, economic crises, and where the risks of students being misled or exploited may be higher. Government of India has undertaken large-scale evacuation operations to protect and bring home Indian nationals, including students during times of emergency. Notable evacuation operations include Operation Devi Shakti (Afghanistan), Operation Ganga (Ukraine), Operation Kaveri (Sudan), Operation Ajay (Israel) and Operation Sindhu (Israel and Iran). These efforts demonstrate Government of India's unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of Indian nationals towards protecting them from miscreants and unsafe security situations. The Missions/Posts utilize the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) from time to time to provide financial and legal assistance to Indian nationals in distress abroad on a means-tested basis. Under ICWF, the major assistance/facilitation like Boarding & Lodging, Air Passage to India, Legal Assistance, Emergency Medical Care, Transportation of Mortal Remains to India, etc., are rendered on priority basis. (e) The Government of India has established several bilateral mechanisms and agreements with key destination countries, including those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to safeguard Indian workers and ensure timely grievance redressal. These include Labour and Manpower Cooperation Agreements/MoUs, Agreements/Protocol on Domestic Workers, and Joint Working Groups/Joint Committee Meetings that oversee implementation of worker- protection provisions, streamline recruitment processes, facilitate resolution of complaints, and strengthen legal assistance frameworks. Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements signed with countries also contain provisions for holding regular Joint Working Group meetings under which such issues pertaining to students, professionals, and reseachers are also highlighted. These arrangements along with dedicated mechanisms in the Indian Missions abroad such as helpdesks, shelter facilities, online grievance portals, and coordinated interventions with local authorities ensure support for Indian workers facing exploitation or contract violations. ***** 3Annexure-A Year-wise and country-wise number of Emigration Clearances granted to Indian emigrant workers during 2023-2025: Country 2023 2024 2025 AFGHANISTAN - - - BAHRAIN 7376 8607 6827 INDONESIA - 3 9 IRAQ 1599 2761 1264 JORDAN 1187 3137 2192 KUWAIT 48212 39862 47087 LEBANON 200 130 36 MALAYSIA 15319 5606 3059 OMAN 21336 24258 29158 QATAR 30683 23785 21907 SAUDI ARABIA 200713 167598 136812 SOUTH SUDAN - - 73 SUDAN - 2 - SYRIA - - - THAILAND 4 10 - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 71687 111308 200686 YEMEN - - - LIBYA - - - Grand Total 398316 387067 449110 4Annexure - B Data on Indian Students Abroad (as on January 2025) Number of students Number of students studying in Total number of S. No Country studying in schools Universities/ Indian students Tertiary Institutions 1 Afghanistan 0 0 0 2 Algeria 14 0 14 3 Albania 0 132 132 4 Angola 5 0 5 5 Argentina 4 0 4 6 Armenia 27 3450 3477 7 Australia 57529 138579 196108 8 Austria 0 520 520 9 Azerbaijan Data not available 366 366 10 Bahrain 28215 405 28620 11 Bangladesh 0 9862 9862 12 Belarus 0 891 891 13 Belgium Data not available 1178 1178 14 Belize Data not available 98 98 15 Benin 157 0 157 16 Bhutan Data not available 01 1 17 Bolivia 01 Data not available 1 5Bosnia and 18 0 200 200 Herzegovina 19 Botswana 39 9 48 20 Brazil 14 7 21 Brunei 21 550 8 558 Darussalam 22 Bulgaria Data Not available 508 508 23 Burkina Faso 0 0 0 24 Cambodia 0 Data not available 0 25 Cameroon 0 0 0 26 Canada Data not available 427085 427085 27 Cape Verde 4 0 4 28 Chad 0 0 0 29 Chile 0 10 10 30 China 9 5330 5339 31 Colombia 0 0 0 Congo 32 (Democratic 200 0 200 Republic) Republic of 33 0 0 0 Congo 34 Cote D Ivory 157 0 157 35 Croatia Data not available 25 25 36 Cuba 0 0 0 637 Cyprus Data not Available 2778 2778 38 Czech Republic 291 1863 2154 39 Denmark Data not available 509 509 40 Djibouti 35 0 35 Dominica 41 0 0 0 Republic 42 Egypt 517 1500 2017 Equatorial 43 5 0 5 Guinea 44 Eritrea 14 0 14 45 Estonia Data not available 167 167 46 Eswatini 0 0 0 47 Ethiopia 40 0 40 48 Fiji 75 10 85 49 Finland 1600 1968 3568 50 France 145 10,000 10145 51 Gabon Data not available 0 0 52 Germany 2714 49483 52197 53 Georgia 20 16000 16020 54 Ghana 1000 0 1000 55 Greece Data not available 20 20 56 Guatemala 0 0 0 57 Guinea 38 0 38 758 Guyana 26 670 696 59 Hungary 0 2000 2000 60 Iceland 67 23 90 61 Indonesia 0 17 17 62 Iran 35 2930 2965 63 Iraq 0 0 0 64 Ireland 10,000 10,000 20,000 65 Israel 0 900 900 66 Italy Data not available 5196 5196 67 Jamaica 300 390 690 68 Japan 1909 1532 3441 69 Jordan 90 1 91 70 Kazakhstan 95 9064 9159 71 Kenya 1863 551 2414 72 Korea (ROK) Data not available 1714 1714 73 Kuwait 50,000 0 50,000 74 Kyrgyzstan 50 16500 16550 75 Laos 0 0 0 76 Latvia Data not available 2708 2708 77 Lebanon 39 3 42 78 Liberia 126 0 126 879 Libya 0 0 0 80 Lithuanaia Data not available 1557 1557 81 Madagascar 4 0 4 82 Malawi 400 10 410 83 Malaysia 4787 4412 9199 84 Maldives Data not available 0 N/A 85 Mali 50 0 50 86 Malta 120 800 920 87 Mauritania 0 0 0 88 Mauritius 272 1510 1782 89 Mexico Data not available 15 15 90 Mongolia 0 4 4 91 Morocco 0 0 0 92 Mozambique 0 0 0 93 Myanmar 2 0 2 94 Namibia 05 0 5 95 Nepal Data not available 2200 2200 96 Netherlands Data not available 3512 3512 97 New Zealand Data not available 7931 7931 98 Niger 20 0 20 99 Nigeria 1550 0 1550 9100 North Macedonia Data not available 2 2 101 Norway Data not available 95 95 102 Oman 44547 300 44847 103 Pakistan 0 0 0 104 Palestine 0 0 0 105 Panama 5 0 5 Papua New 106 0 0 0 Guinea 107 Paraguay 1 0 1 108 Peru 40 5 45 109 Philippines Data not available 9500 9500 110 Poland 500 5000 5500 111 Portugal 1300 50 1350 112 Qatar 47846 1500 49346 113 Romania Data not available 195 195 114 Russia 222 27000 27222 115 Rwanda 0 0 0 116 Sao Tome 0 0 0 117 Saudi Arabia 75000 830 75830 118 Senegal 100 0 100 119 Serbia 20 650 670 10120 Seychelles 43 14 57 121 Sierra Leone 60 0 60 122 Singapore 30000 3250 33250 123 Slovak Republic 3 300 303 124 Slovenia 20 392 412 125 South Africa 11240 536 11776 126 South Sudan 0 0 0 127 Spain Data not available 1192 1192 128 Sri Lanka 45 20 65 129 Sudan 1 0 1 130 Suriname 3 250 253 131 Sweden Data not available 2500 2500 132 Switzerland 0 2064 2064 133 Syria 0 0 0 134 Tajikistan 0 1234 1234 135 Tanzania 870 56 926 136 Thailand 2394 485 2879 137 Timor Leste Data not available Data not available Data not available 138 Togo 150 0 150 Trinidad & 139 6 1 7 Tobago 140 Tunisia 0 26 26 11141 Turkiye 0 334 334 142 Turkmenistan 0 0 0 143 Taiwan 62 2524 2586 144 Uganda 0 0 0 145 Ukraine 0 1802 1802 146 UAE 2,47,325 6,507 2,53,832 147 U.K. Data not available 1,73,190 1,73,190 148 U.S.A. 200 255247 255447 149 Uzbekistan 0 7500 7500 150 Venezuela 0 0 0 151 Vietnam 400 300 700 152 Zambia 650 50 700 153 Zimbabwe 23 0 23 Total 628305 1254013 1882318 ***** 12