Kathmandu, March 18 -- Rising tensions in West Asia have severely affected Nepali migrant workers in the region, as well as those seeking jobs there. As a result, more than 2,000 Nepali nationals who have already been granted work visas are denied labour permits by the government of Nepal on a daily basis, citing rising tensions in the Gulf.

Not only new workers but also those who have returned home on leave have been denied labour permit renewals, preventing them from returning to work.

The Department of Immigration has barred Nepali migrant workers without labour permits from air travel. A meeting of the "Emergency Response Team", chaired by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, recommended to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Soc...