Costs of hiring Nepalese maids to decrease for sponsors, embassy says

Changes to the fees involved in hiring a Nepalese maid will make it cheaper for sponsors but could see costs double for agencies, a senior diplomat from Nepal Embassy in Abu Dhabi said.

ABU DHABI // Changes to the fees involved in hiring a Nepalese maid will make it cheaper for sponsors but costs for agencies could double, a senior diplomat from Nepal Embassy in Abu Dhabi said.

A Dh5,000 deposit paid by employers to hire a maid from Nepal could be scrapped by the end of the month, said Netra Tandan, charge d’affaires.

“The embassy suggested sponsors shouldn’t pay security deposits and agencies should be accountable for this only,” Mr Tandan said. “The decision is to lower the hiring burden from sponsors and make it more easier for them to avail services of Nepalese domestic helpers.”

However, agencies that recruit and hire maids to come to the UAE could see the amount of money they have to hand over to the embassy double to US$20,000.

“This one-time payment means they can hire any number of maids,” said Mr Tandan, adding that companies based in Nepal are required to pay US$5,000 extra as a security deposit.

The cash will be used to cover any costs that arise from labour disputes, repatriation, medical treatment, owed wages and flights for maids, Mr Tandan said.

In August last year, Nepal’s government introduced new rules for maids working overseas and asked its citizens to cancel their existing valid work visas and re-apply for new ones to ensure they would be able to return to the UAE after they travel. Around 10,000 Nepalese still need to re-apply for new visas with only 400 maids confirming their status since the new rules came into place.