4
Termination from work (9.8 percent) and lack of employment (22.5 percent) were the two most
important factors that contributed to their decision to return home. 15.2 percent reported that their
visas had expired as their employers refused to extend those. In as many as 6.7 percent cases the
employers cancelled the visas that were still valid. 1.5 percent of respondents noted they were in
irregular status and as they were facing difficulty in securing employment they availed the general
amnesty offered by the government of the destination country. 8.4 percent of the returnee migrants
stated that they were in detention prior to their repatriation that was organised by the host
government. Those in detention was a mix group. While some detainees were serving sentences for
criminal offences, another group was detained for days or (at the most weeks) for violating the
lockdown provisions and were forcibly repatriated. The latter group claimed that they were sent back
despite having valid visa and work permit. Most of those had to leave behind their personal
belongings and savings as they were not allowed to collect those before repatriation. 6.5 percent of
the respondents stated that they had returned on their own volition for fear of COVID-19. They stated
that they were mentally depressed and wanted to be with their loved ones at this time of crisis.
Role of Employers
The employers played a critical role in the workers’ return. When asked about their interaction with
the employers 22.5 percent of returnee migrants stated their employers asked them to return home
without settling due wages. Another 11 percent said that employers had asked them after settling at
least partial amount of their outstanding dues. Only in 1.5 percent cases employers offered the
workers some advance payment before they were returned home. 10 percent of the respondents
stated that their employers extracted resignation letters from them. In all likelihood it was done to
absolve them from any future liability of unjustified termination.
Registering Complaints
There was little evidence of returnee migrants taking their complaints of non-compliance of contract
and other wrong doings of the employers with any authority. Only 8 percent of workers stated that
they filed complaints. Of the 94 cases who filed complaints 83 percent were males and only 17
percent were females. Others said that they were not aware of any authority with whom they could
lodge their complaints. Most of the workers stated that shut down conditions restricted their
movement and they had to comply with whatever their employers had advised them to do.
Lack of information was cited to be the single most important reason by the returnee migrants (35
percent) for not filing complaints. Fear of reprisal from the employers was cited by 24 percent as
reason for not reporting. Another 20 percent of returnee migrants stated they did not file complaints
as they had no reason to believe that their dues could be recovered. 10 percent felt that they did not
want to jeopardize their hope to re-migrate to the country by filing such complaints. The rest 11
percent assigned a range of other reasons.
Advice
When asked if they had received any advice or instruction about ways to claim their unpaid wages
only about 9 percent of respondents replied in the affirmative. Of the 114 cases who received advice
only 15.1 percent received such advice in written form. Others were informed only verbally. In other
words, an overwhelming number of returnee migrants were completely at dark about claiming their
due wages and other entitlements. 67 percent of those who acknowledged that they had secured