Corruption Issues in Nepal Immigration

B. Basnet, (a recently transferred staff)

Immigration Staffs are forced to do corruption due to following reasons:

1.) They have to use either huge monetary or power effort to get transfer or kaaj in Immigration Office; there are very rare staffs who got posting under fair scheme.

2.) Most of the top level officers of the Ministry and Department ask for the regular labia from the junior staffs of Airport Immigration

3.) The senior authorities of Home Ministry and Department often send their special representative to collect their commission regularly; most of their hanuman is illegally work there in so called unlimited KAAJ.

4.) Whenever the higher level officials go for abroad visit, than the Immigration Staffs has to compulsory provide them estimated pocket money, necessary expenses for gifts and other stuffs in respective currency.

5.) The Immigration staff has to supply the necessary hard drinks to the higher official of the Home Ministry and Department whenever they requires for individual or party uses.

6.) The top level officials of the Ministry and Department also force to buy international ticket if their family member requires to pay in individual capacity.

7.) Most of the immigration staffs do not meet even minimum quality for immigration but they just get prepaid posting with a single mission to earn anyhow money.

8.) The Immigration staffs do not get any additional incentives, so they have to collect illegal money to pay their food while works in duty and to afford night transportation cost.


9.) The Immigration staff has to pay monthly dadagiri tax to the police, vigilance, NID and also other authority to prevent from unnecessary difficulties.

Source of Illegal Income:
In Immigration, the illegal travelers are the source of major illegal income. Normally fair travelers are not under targeted income source list. The types and volume of illegal or curtailed travelers are amazing. Most of the illegal work is done with the pre-consent and coordination of higher level official of the Ministry and Department. The percentage of such income immediately distributed through their agents. So, it is stupid to blame only to the junior immigration staffs for corruption matters.
Who is responsible for the pathetic situation?
Principally the secretary, respective joint secretary and director general are the responsible for the situation since they involve in transfer, posting, kaaj, supervisions and monitoring etc.

How to establish good governance in Immigration?
1. Urgently review the immigration service delivery system, procedure, and laws
2. Some prequalification test should be done yearly in free and fair manner and selected employees should be kept in a special roaster

3. Transfer and posting should be done under the basis of prequalification test results.

4. Reward, punishment and incentive tools should be practices effectively and efficiently

5. The advance immigration technology should be introduced immediately

6. Supervisory and monitoring mechanism should be made effective and efficient

7. Immigration should be made resourceful and also keep in serious priority of the nation

Is it a solution, if the Immigration office removed from the Home Ministry (civilian system) and handed over to the other authority?

No and never, it is not a solution, whether it is removed from the civilian authority and handed over to the any other authority because the people may be same and can be transferred to the newly constituted authority. Actually, reform is related to the human affairs, it deals with the attitude, perception, honesty, motivation, capabilities, rights, responsibility, accountability, resources, procedures and many more other things. So just to transferring into one to other is not a solution. The losing the Immigration from civil system may prove the poor performance of existing leaders. So, the higher authority should be very careful in this matter.

Who is the principle partner for corrupt Immigration System?

Specially the police, intelligence, labor desk, airlines, vigilance, NID, arm police force, Nepal army, and civil aviation authority, & custom are the major partners for corrupt immigration system. To be honest, in hierarchy, the Immigration is in lowest rank in corruption, if the comparative chart developed among the authorities located at the airport.

Conclusion: the Immigration cannot be reformed and run under free and fair track until and unless the higher authority takes full responsibility for immigration service system. First, they might be honest towards their decisions, direction and supervisions. Once they get honest, the immigration service will be perfect and exemplary in few months.

(Note the series of this report will continuously respectively)