Investigation into Israel caregiver applications remains uncertain

KATHMANDU, Sept 24: The Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security is still investigating the applications for assistant workers (caregivers) at long-term care centers in Israel, creating uncertainty as the investigation process remains unresolved.

There was a demand for 2,000 workers to serve as caregivers. A total of 2,200 candidates were selected through a lottery process to work in Israel as assistant workers. An additional 200 names were drawn to make it easier to replace candidates who might not be able to go, according to sources from the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu.

The selected group consisted of 60 percent women and 40 percent men. Their selection was done through a lottery in the presence of Israel's Director of Immigration, Moshe Nakas.

A five-member committee, led by Under Secretary Meghnath Rimal of the Ministry of Labor was formed to investigate all applications for caregiver positions in Israel. After completing the investigation of all applicants interested in working as caregivers in Israel, the committee submitted its findings to the Ministry of Labor, which then forwarded them to the Department of Foreign Employment.

An official from the Department of Foreign Employment stated that it has been over a week since the Ministry of Labor submitted the investigation report to the department. Due to the prolonged investigation process, which took over two months, Nepali workers have not been able to go for the high-paying caregiver jobs in Israel. Meanwhile, India has already sent 1,500 workers to Israel for similar employment. As Nepal continues to delay, there is a growing risk that those selected from Nepal may lose their opportunity to go.

The Department of Foreign Employment had rejected 563 applications for Israel, citing them as fake. Some applicants had submitted three-month caregiver certificates without undergoing proper training. Although 2,200 workers were selected through the lottery process, around 150 of them were found to have submitted fake documents, according to department officials. The department stated that those workers with fake certificates would be removed, and the previously excluded workers would replace them before submitting the final list to Israel's Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA).

"Among the 2,200 selected workers, it was found that some had submitted fake certificates, and a few had incomplete documents," said an official from the department. "We plan to remove the workers who submitted fake documents and replace them with the previously excluded candidates. The results of this process will come soon, and we are actively working on it."

Department officials stated that action would also be taken against the institutions that created the fake certificates. It was found that applicants had purchased caregiver certificates for amounts ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. Some candidates had obtained certificates from institutions not recognized by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and had not even undergone the required training.

For caregiver job applications, candidates who have not completed nursing, CMA, or ANM courses are required to undergo a mandatory three-month caregiver training. However, the department canceled those applications after discovering that some institutions had issued three-month training certificates without providing proper training or offering short-term training before selling the certificates.

The Department of Foreign Employment sent the names of 3,461 individuals for verification. The PIBA conducted the necessary investigation into those names and performed a ‘lucky draw’. Shortly after the department submitted the list of applicants to Israel, a complaint was lodged with the Ministry of Labor regarding the submission of fake documents. Following this, the investigation committee conducted an inquiry and submitted its findings to the ministry, which then forwarded the report to the department.

A total of 8,512 individuals created user IDs online for caregiver positions in Israel. Out of these, 4,024 applied, and 563 applications were canceled. Among those, 242 were rejected due to missing documents, while 321 were denied for other reasons.

The Department had canceled the applications that went beyond the prescribed standards and those that had submitted wrong certificates. According to the government's proposal, Israel was ready to take 2,000 workers. Initially, applications were requested for 800 people. Of these, only 500 were the main candidates and 300 were said to be alternates. Later, Israel increased the quota to 2,000 with 1000 main candidates and 1000 alternate candidates.