A second Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) has opened in India to help
potential migrants make an informed decision on what they do before
they go abroad.

Set up by IOM in partnership with the Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the state government of Andhra Pradesh in
Hyderabad as part of an IOM programme funded by the European
Commission on facilitating and legal migration between Asia and the
European Union, the centre in the Indian city of Hyderabad in
Andhra Pradesh will inform potential migrants about various work
opportunities in the European Union and on entry requirements.

Focusing on disseminating information on legal, organized and
humane migration, the centre will also alert potential migrants on
the risks and dangers of irregular migration. As well as being a
drop-in centre, the MRC also has a telephone helpline with a
toll-free number for people to call for information and advice.

This second centre in India follows the successful establishment
of the first, in the Indian state of Kerala in 2008, with the MOIA
wishing to initiate more MRCs across the country and at district
level.

Labour migration from India is of increasing importance. An
estimated 25 million Indians now live abroad according to official
estimates, sending more remittances back home than any other
migrant diaspora – US$52 billion in 2008. One study estimates
that by 2030, Indians and Chinese workers will represent 40 per
cent of the global workforce.

For more information, please contact:

Nitin Kumar

IOM New Delhi

E-mail: "mailto:nkumar@iom.int">nkumar@iom.int