Government has notified a total of 3,281 illegal agents on the e-Migrate portal
Chandigarh: Kumari Selja said the Illegal travel agents’ offices are open in every street of every city, and the youth are falling victim to fraud:. The unemployed youth are being subjected to physical, mental, and financial exploitation in the country.
The General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, former Union Minister, and Member of Parliament from Sirsa, Kumari Selja, expressed her surprise over the response given by the Ministry of External Affairs to certain questions, stating that there is a rampant presence of illegal travel agents in every city, yet the Ministry claims that as of February 2025, a total of 3,281 illegal agents, including those in Haryana, have been notified on the e-Migrate portal. On the other hand, the youth, who are desperately searching for employment and dreaming of going abroad, are falling victim to these illegal agents. The youth are spending 50-50 lakh (5 to 5 million) and heading abroad via the “Donkey Route” in search of jobs, only to be deported like criminals with handcuffs. This is the most shameful situation for the country. The government should collect accurate data on this issue and take strict action against illegal agents.
In a statement released to the media MP Kumari Selja said that she had sought information from the Ministry of External Affairs about the exact number of such illegal travel agents in India who send youth abroad with false promises of jobs. Kumari Selja said that some travel agents deceive youth with false promises of jobs abroad, causing them significant financial and emotional harm. Many youths go abroad for jobs, only to face bad conditions and exploitation there. The Ministry’s response indicates that the e-Migrate portal, social media handles, and other promotional methods issue advice about the dangers of fake job rackets and how to prevent them. As of February 2025, a total of 3,281 illegal agents have been notified on the e-Migrate portal, including those in Haryana. The Ministry has conducted awareness campaigns on safe and legal migration through workshops, training sessions, informational meetings, media groups, police officers, law enforcement agencies, local administrations, aspiring recruitment agents, entrepreneurs, and the general public across the country, including Haryana.
She said the Ministry regularly coordinates with state governments, including Haryana, on issues related to illegal agencies and the enforcement of migration regulations. The foreign contact program is organized from time to time with the cooperation of state governments. The Ministry regularly conducts outreach programs to educate various stakeholders about the benefits of safe and legal migration and suggests ways to prevent illegal migration through fake/unregistered recruitment agencies. In addition to sharing regular information about unregistered recruitment agencies, regular meetings are held with the state-level nodal officers. The Ministry also organizes regular workshops and training sessions.
Kumari Selja said that the Ministry’s response is surprising, and it can be said that the Ministry does not have accurate data on illegal travel agents. In India, in 2020, there were more than 250,000 small-sized travel agents. The Indian travel agent market size in 2020 was approximately 38 billion USD, which is estimated to exceed 67 billion USD by 2027. Instead of a decrease, the number of illegal travel agents has increased since 2020. The data provided by the Ministry could only be found in Punjab alone. Kumari Selja said if the central and state governments had taken strict action against illegal travel agents, millions of families could have been saved from devastation. Youth, lured by the prospects of earning well abroad, fall into the trap of these agents. Youth used to sell their homes, land, and shops to go abroad via the donkey route, only to end up without jobs and forced to work as bonded labourers, where they faced physical, mental, and financial exploitation. Kumari Selja said that governments begin to act only when a fire has already broken out. If this work had been done earlier, the fire could have been controlled quickly. The Ministry should once again collect accurate data and take action against illegal travel agents.
