Dear All,
The recent Outlook Mar 23 2009 has an interesting article on the plight of Indians and specifically of Goans caught in a flying Visa scam in Israel of all places. Pascal Pinto Indians come here to find that the job they came seeking was a well-orchestrated lie Mya Guarnieri | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send - read | The Flying Visa scam Israel's employment agencies obtain permits to hire foreign workers The permit allows them to secure employment and a work visa for a foreigner The Israel agency's partner in India takes huge sums of money from those wishing to work in Israel But once the Indian worker reaches Israel, he finds his employment, and therefore his visa, cancelled The guilty employment agency uses the permit to take out a visa for yet another Indian Those left stranded go into hiding, hoping to evade deportation. They work illegally to pay the loans they took to finance their journey to Israel. *** The Binding Arrangement Those working legally are also ripe for exploitation. Their work visa is valid as long as they have the job. Employers consequently compel, say a caregiver, to also double up as cooks, gardeners etc Wages are often far lower than promised originally NGOs suspect cases of sexual abuse. These are not reported because the victim fears his visa could be cancelled. Should the employer die, the visa stands cancelled. ***Indians In Israel The interior ministry says there are about 18,000 Indians in Israel Only 5,100 of them have a legal status. The rest are working illegally. Actual number is said to be much higher. Many who're pushed across the Egypt-Israel border don't figure in official estimates. People pay $8,000 to $10,000 for working in Israel Most Indians workers are employed as caregivers. The salary offered is $700 a month. _________________________________________________________________ So many new options, so little time. Windows Live Messenger. http://www.microsoft.com/india/windows/windowslive/messenger.aspx
