Kathmandu, April 28: The government has urged those working in South Korea on EPS and currently on leave in Nepal to contact the Foreign Employment Department.

Issuing a notice today, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security informed that the Nepalis who came home from Korea on leave and now willing to return for work were requested to contact the EPS Korea section at the Ministry.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday had decided to allow the Nepali workers currently staying on leave to return for Korea job via chartered flights after the health check up. However, the workers should themselves bear the cost for return ticket.

The Nepali workers, students, and entrepreneurs who had come to Nepal before the coronavirus pandemic were stranded with the suspension of the international flights.

However, the EPS section has said it had no record on those Nepali workers who came home on leave from Korea. The efforts are on to collect the data on those with the initiative of Non-Resident Nepalis' Association (NRNA). It is estimated that some 250 Nepalis had come home on leave. The employers in Korea have been urging the Nepali workers to return to job as the COVID-19 subsided there.

Similarly, the Nepalis on leave here were worrying of the cancellation of their work visa for overstaying. The ongoing lockdown hampered them though the employing companies in Korea were urging for early return.

Preparation is on to return the Nepali workers in the chartered Nepal Airlines. The NRNA and Nepal Airlines have also signed an agreement for chartered flight. For the first round, a flight is planned for 30 April in which those with short visa time will be prioritized.

Those willing to return for job in Korea are urged to submit Rs 113,775 for return ticket by 2:00 pm Wednesday. They need to stay in quarantine for two weeks after reaching Korea.