The Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2025 arrives as a long-overdue attempt to replace the archaic Emigration Act of 1983. It promises a modern framework for the millions of Indians working and living abroad, particularly the vast population of labour migrants who form the backbone of India’s overseas workforce and who often migrate to high-risk destinations. However, from the perspective of the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) and its network of partners, the Bill represents a profound regression. It prioritizes bureaucratic efficiency over human dignity, offering a framework of “facilitation” that systematically dismantles protections, centralizes power, and fails to address the systemic exploitation that has plagued Indian migrant workers for decades. If enacted in its current form, it will not facilitate safe mobility but will instead facilitate the export of despair.
