Kathmandu, July 30 -- Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing work visas to Nepali workers in five job categories that require mandatory skill verification certificates after Nepal's government sealed the Kathmandu-based institute conducting the tests.

The Saudi Arabian embassy suspended visa processing for workers requiring Skill Verification Programme (SVP) certification after authorities sealed the Industrial Training Institute in Basundhara last Wednesday, saying the centre did not have legal authorisation to conduct skill assessments.

The shutdown has created uncertainty for thousands of Nepali migrant workers seeking jobs in Saudi Arabia, one of Nepal's largest labour destinations.

Mahesh Kumar Basnet, senior vice-president of the Nepal...