Overseas recruitment process
Every mandate follows the same eight steps, in the same order. Here is what happens at each one and who does what.
How does overseas recruitment from India work?
An employer abroad issues a demand letter and power of attorney to a Ministry of External Affairs licensed recruiting agent, who sources and tests candidates in India, arranges GCC-approved medicals and the visa, obtains emigration clearance for ECR passport holders, and confirms the worker has joined. A typical Gulf mandate takes six to twelve weeks.
Step 1: Requirement meeting
We sit down with the employer, in person or on a call, and write up a requirement sheet: each role, how many, the qualifications and experience expected, salary, benefits and contract term. Accommodation, transport, food, medical cover, working hours and end-of-service terms are settled at the same time. The employer then issues the demand letter, power of attorney, contract template and visa authorisation, which lets recruitment start on a lawful footing.
Step 2: Sourcing
Sourcing is matched to the trade. Nurses come through nursing colleges and hospitals, hospitality staff through hotel management institutes, drivers and construction trades through our field recruiters and walk-in registration at the Jalandhar office. Advertisements run in regional newspapers, on job portals and on social media, and our database of previously registered candidates is searched first.
Step 3: Screening
Before anyone is shortlisted we verify passports, mark sheets, degree certificates, experience letters and professional registrations. For medical and engineering roles the registrations are checked with the issuing body. Candidates whose papers do not hold up are dropped at this stage, not later.
Step 4: Interviews and trade tests
Shortlisted candidates meet the employer, either an in-person delegation or a video panel. Skilled trades sit practical tests at recognised centres: welders weld, masons build, drivers take a road test, chefs cook to a brief, housekeepers are timed on a room set-up. Engineers and supervisors are interviewed on technical depth, communication and leadership. Selection follows the results, not the CV.
Step 5: Medical examination
Selected candidates are booked into a GCC-approved medical centre under the WAAC scheme (formerly GAMCA). The examination covers a physical check, blood tests, chest X-ray and screening for communicable diseases. Only candidates with a fitness report proceed.
Step 6: Visa filing
We assemble the visa file: passport copies, photographs, certificates and the medical report, and forward it to the employer or their PRO. Depending on the country, the visa is issued electronically or stamped at the consulate. We track each application and chase delays.
Step 7: Emigration clearance and orientation
Candidates holding ECR passports need clearance from the Protector of Emigrants; we file it and attend to queries. Every departing worker completes the mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation Training, which covers the destination country’s labour law, workplace culture, their rights and who to call in an emergency.
Step 8: Departure and follow-up
On the day of travel a staff member meets the candidate at the airport, checks documents and hands over a departure file. Once the worker lands we confirm with the employer that they have reported to site, and we collect feedback after the first weeks. If someone fails to join or returns early inside the guarantee period, we replace them under the agreement.
Questions about the recruitment process
Hiring from India?
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