Narendra Bhattarai from Nepal’s Panchthar district was a writer, poet and aspiring filmmaker in his home country before moving to Qatar in 2007 in search of better opportunities.

Bhattarai planned his move carefully. The artist paid an agent a considerable sum of money to secure a job as a driver with a relatively high salary.

However, after his arrival, he was forced to work as a construction worker. He was guaranteed 900 Qatari riyals (about $247 at the time) per month, but in the end he only received 600 riyals.

“I dreamed of providing a good life for my family, but I ended up becoming a victim of labor exploitation,” Bhattarai told DW.

Bhattarai had to work very hard for several years in Qatar to pay back his debts. Then he returned to Nepal, returned to his passion for poetry and filmmaking and continued to struggle for money.

In 2019, the artist traveled to Portugal for a film screening and learned that he could apply for a residency permit and work legally in the EU country. He decided to stay.

“A long-term stay in Europe means future security for me and my family,” he told DW.

Portugal opens its doors in the late 2010s

Bhattarai was one of several hundred Nepalese who found work in Portugal in 2019.

According to official data from the Nepalese government, only 25 people received a Portuguese work permit in 2018, but the following year the number rose to 461.

Portugal needed lower-skilled workers and enabled them to get jobs “mainly in agriculture and tourism,” according to the European study “Rethinking Approaches to Labor Migration – Full Case Study Portugal.”.

Many European countries reported that the number of their Nepali workers more than doubled between 2019 and 2024. Romania leads the way with an increase of 640%.

Why is Europe becoming more and more popular?

Countries like Kuwait also saw a sharp increase in the number of Nepali migrant workers during the same period, but experts believe that the patterns of Nepali labor migration are changing.

Many workers are avoiding traditional destinations in Asia and around the Persian Gulf and opting for EU countries such as Poland, Romania, Portugal, Malta, Hungary, Croatia and others.

Part of this can simply be explained by the better earning opportunities and easier access to jobs abroad.

“Our socio-cultural structure has shaped our psychology to save for the future,” sociologist Tikaram Gautam told DW.

“As globalization offers migrant workers numerous alternatives, they choose destinations where they can earn more.”

But it is also about prestige and peer pressure.

Dipak Gautam, a Nepali native, has been working as a security guard in Dubai for ten years and earns enough to send part of his salary home. However, he says he is still looked down upon for not working in Europe.

“Nepalese society considers it prestigious to work in Europe, while those of us who work in the Gulf are considered failures,” he said.

Nepalese society believes that European countries can offer better working conditions, higher wages and more opportunities.

Dipak said he also tried to apply for a work visa to Poland but was rejected twice.

Why are young workers leaving Nepal?

According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), migrant workers’ remittances accounted for up to 26.6 percent of Nepal’s GDP, worth an estimated $11 billion in 2023.

The labor market in the Himalayan state is burdened by political unrest, the lack of large-scale employment programs and inadequate human resources management.

At the same time, the country is quite liberal in terms of its political system, education and access to technology.

These factors, according to labor expert Meena Poudel, have led to Nepalese becoming informed global citizens and raising their expectations of the government.

“They are aware of global developments, but cannot compare those experiences with what they are experiencing in Nepal,” she explained.

Fewer jobs for unskilled workers in residential areas

In recent years, countries such as Malaysia and the Gulf States have raised the bar for migrant workers.

“Employers are also looking for skilled workers, forcing semi-skilled and unskilled people to look for alternatives,” she said.

At the same time, several European countries have relaxed their immigration laws, making it easier for foreign workers to obtain visas, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, domestic services, hospitality and construction.

It is assumed that European countries offer more freedom and the risk of labour exploitation is lower.

Making the dream of a better life in Europe come true

Since last year, Germany has been changing its skilled worker immigration law and introducing the concept of an “opportunity card” for third-country nationals seeking work.

Bijay Limbu had worked in Qatar before moving to Malta six months ago with the dream of finding a job in Germany.

“I am improving my knowledge and learning the language in order to meet the requirements for a residence permit,” he told DW.

At the same time, he warned that “jobs for migrant workers are always insecure.”

Portugal, the new home of Nepalese writer Narendra Bhattarai, is a good example: recent changes in the law have placed further obstacles in the way of immigrants wishing to work and settle in the country.

Bhattarai says he is “mentally and financially satisfied” with his life in Portugal, which allows him to rekindle his passion for writing.

“I think I came to Europe at the right time,” he said.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic

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