Which Countries to Hire Foreign Workers From for Ukraine: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Central Asia

Compare candidates, not countries

The question "which country should we hire from?" sounds logical, but an honest answer depends less on the passport than on the specific role: what experience is needed, which language will be used on site, how many people are required and by when. Skills, experience and English proficiency vary enormously within any country, so it is the pool of candidates for your vacancy that should be compared, not nationalities as a whole. The country of origin matters for a different reason: it determines the rules for leaving, the paperwork and the preparation time.

Criteria worth comparing

• The exit procedure for workers in the home country. In several countries labor migration is regulated by the state: workers must be registered, obtain clearance to leave, or go through licensed intermediaries. This affects timelines and who exactly you are working with.
• Documents and their legalization. Diploma, police clearance, medical documents: whether an apostille, consular legalization or a notarized translation is needed depends on the candidate's country and the type of document (see the work permit page for details).
• Communication. Check the real level of English or another shared language on site in an interview with each candidate, not by country.
• Entry route. Citizens of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka need a type D visa to work in Ukraine. Citizens of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan can enter Ukraine without a visa for a stay of up to 90 days (according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs table), but visa-free entry does not give the right to work: a work permit and a temporary residence permit are still required. Ukrainian airspace is closed, so entry is arranged overland through neighboring countries, each with its own visa rules for the traveler's nationality — for example with the help of the Moldova transit e-visa.
• The chain of intermediaries. The longer it is, the higher the risk of hidden fees and inaccurate promises to candidates — see our article on recruitment scam warning signs.

What sets these countries apart on exit rules

Below is what can be verified from official and published sources. Rules change, so check current requirements before you start a project.

India. Emigration clearance for employment is mandatory only for holders of passports stamped ECR who are going to work in one of the countries on the Indian Ministry of External Affairs list. That list is dominated by Middle Eastern countries, plus a few in Africa and Southeast Asia; Ukraine is not on it. Clearance is processed through the eMigrate portal. Check the current list on the Ministry's website.

Nepal. Nepali citizens need a labor permit from the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) to take a job abroad; it also gives them access to state support in an emergency. In January 2024 the Department stopped issuing permits for Russia and Ukraine "until further notice", after Nepali citizens were killed while serving in the Russian army. In January 2025 the Labor Minister said the government would not hurry to resume approvals for Russia while the war continues, and we have found no report that permits for Ukraine have been resumed. As long as the suspension is in force, a Nepali worker cannot obtain the permit for a job in Ukraine, so hiring from Nepal cannot be planned until it is lifted. Check the current status with the Department before you start anything.

Bangladesh. A worker leaving for a job abroad obtains emigration clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). This can be done through the digital Overseas Employment Platform, either independently or by authorizing a licensed recruiting agency. Agencies in Bangladesh operate under a licence.

Pakistan. Under the Emigration Ordinance of 1979, a Pakistani citizen going abroad to work must obtain a Protector of Emigrants stamp from the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment (BE&OE). Overseas placement is arranged by licensed intermediaries known as Overseas Employment Promoters.

Sri Lanka. Everyone leaving to work abroad must register with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) before departure; registration requires an employment contract that meets the Bureau's standards. Recruitment agencies must hold an SLBFE licence.

Uzbekistan. Labor migration is overseen by the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers (its powers were set out by Presidential Decree PF-162 of 17 October 2024). The Agency licenses private employment agencies that place workers abroad and can run recruitment and pre-departure preparation itself, and it warns citizens against arranging jobs abroad through unlicensed intermediaries. For an employer this comes down to one check: the intermediary must hold an Agency licence.

Kyrgyzstan. Official employment abroad is handled by the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration, which also licenses the private agencies that send workers abroad. The same rule applies: check that the agency is authorized before anything is signed.

Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. The rules for private employment agencies and for leaving to work abroad differ from country to country and change over time; we verify them for each project instead of relying on a general description.

What this means for an employer: for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka your process includes a separate stage of official exit clearance that has to be built into the timeline. For Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan the equivalent is working only through a licensed channel. For India such clearance applies only to destinations on the approved list, and Ukraine is not on it. For Nepal the route is closed for now. In Central Asia there is no type D visa stage for a short-stay entry, but the work permit and residence permit stages remain. This is not "better" or "worse" — these are different procedures that determine whom you can put on site, and when.

Nepal and Central Asia: how we work

ASHA Ukraine's candidate selection covers South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal) and Central Asia (including Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan). In every country we follow the official procedure: licensed channels, home-country clearance where it exists, no departures that bypass the rules. For Nepal that currently means waiting: until the suspension is lifted we do not promise hiring timelines from there, and for the same role we propose candidates from other countries. For Central Asia the work permit and residence permit stages are built into the plan from the start, because visa-free entry does not replace them.

How to decide in practice

1. Describe the role: skills, experience, working language, project length.
2. Request candidate profiles from several countries and compare them on specific criteria rather than stereotypes.
3. Build into the timeline the exit procedure in the home country (where there is one), the work permit, the type D visa or the residence permit after visa-free entry, and the overland route.
4. Start with a pilot group: it is cheaper than getting the whole team wrong.
5. Check every intermediary: licences, no fees charged to candidates, clear contracts.

How ASHA Ukraine handles it

Turnkey foreign staff hiring covers sourcing candidates in their home countries, legalization and support until they start work on site, and foreign staff outsourcing covers the ongoing management of the team. For hiring cost benchmarks, see our article on the cost of hiring a worker from India.

Sources (official and published resources): Ministry of External Affairs of India — emigration clearance, Reuters via Kyiv Independent — Nepal stops issuing work permits for Russia and Ukraine (5 Jan 2024), Himal Press — NRNA presses the government to resume labor approvals (5 Jan 2025), ILO — overseas employment system in Bangladesh, Pakistan BE&OE — Protectorate of Emigrants, Sri Lanka SLBFE — registration of migrant workers, Migration Agency of Uzbekistan, Kun.uz — Migration Agency warns against unlicensed overseas job firms (25 Aug 2025), TimesCA — private employment agencies and Kyrgyz migrants (23 Mar 2026), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine — entry regime for foreigners by country (table dated 8 June 2023). Rules may change.