KATHMANDU, July 22: A total of 2,300 foreign nationals from 74 countries are currently living and working in Nepal with official labor permits.
According to the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety under the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security, 700 new foreign nationals received labor permits in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25, while 1,600 renewed their existing permits to continue working in the country. These foreign workers are engaged in sectors such as infrastructure development and business operations. Workers from countries like India, China, and the United States are among those officially permitted to work in Nepal.
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Nepal’s labor law allows only skilled foreign nationals to work in the country and requires employers to prove that no qualified Nepali citizen is available for the position before applying for approval. Labor permits are granted for up to one year at a time, and in the case of highly specialized roles, a permit may be extended for up to 12 years. Employers are also required to train Nepali workers to eventually replace foreign hires.
According to the Department of Labour, it regularly issues and renews labor supplier licenses and also provides permits to non-Nepali citizens. As a result, skilled foreign workers have continued to come to Nepal over the years, and more than 22,000 foreign nationals have received labor permits till date. Of them, 2,300 are currently recorded as residing in Nepal.
However, a significantly larger number of Indian nationals are believed to be working in Nepal without official labor permits. Due to the open border, many Indians are employed informally in various sectors, from barber shops and vegetable stalls to construction work. The government has not maintained a record of how many Indian citizens are working in Nepal.
According to the department, 52 labor supply companies received operating licenses in Nepal recently. Meanwhile, 420 existing companies in the sector renewed their licenses in the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Labour.
