How to Verify an Overseas Job Offer Before You Pay Anything

Imagine you get a message on a Tuesday evening. A company abroad needs a fitter, a cook or a site supervisor, and your profile looks like a match. The salary is good, and they want an answer by Friday. For anyone hoping to find overseas jobs, that message can feel like luck arriving at last. It can also be the first move in a scam. Usually you can't tell which one it is from the message alone. You have to check, and checking is easier than most people think. This guide walks through how to verify an overseas job offer step by step, from the employer to the recruitment agency to the contract. It is written for skilled workers considering foreign employment, and it applies whether you found the offer online, through a friend or at an agency's office.

Start With the Overseas Job Offer Itself

Before you pay anything, look at what you've actually been given. A genuine overseas job offer is written down. It names the employer, your job title, your salary and the main terms of employment. Rahat International's candidate FAQ says the same, and the ILO's fair recruitment guidelines also favour written terms. A voice note, a chat message or a verbal promise isn't an offer, however friendly the person sounds. Read it for detail. A real employer knows what it wants. If the job description is vague ("general work, good salary"), the location is missing or the company name is left out, ask questions. If the answers stay vague, you've learned something.

Confirm the Employer Exists

It sounds obvious, but many people skip it. Search for the company name. Does it have an official website and a business address? Does it operate in the industry it claims? Do the contact details in your offer match the ones on the website? Be careful with logos and letterheads. Anyone can copy a real company's branding onto a fake document. A polished PDF proves nothing on its own. Where possible, contact the employer through the details on its official website, not the ones in the message you received. If your government offers a way to verify foreign employers, use it. India's eMigrate portal, run by the Ministry of External Affairs, allows job seekers to search for and verify the credentials of recruitment agents and foreign employers.

Check the Recruitment Agency

Most skilled workers reach international job opportunities through a recruitment agency, which is where most of the risk sits. Some countries require employers to recruit through registered agents, so a missing registration can be a legal problem, not just a warning sign. Ask the agency for its registration or licence number, then check it yourself with the government authority. Don't rely on a certificate they email you.

If you're in India

The Ministry of External Affairs says recruiting agents must hold a registration certificate from the Protector General of Emigrants, and you can check whether an agent is registered on the eMigrate portal. The Ministry's guidance is to deal only with registered agents, and it suggests asking for the licence number and noting it down for verification.

If you're in Nepal

Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) licenses manpower agencies and publishes a list you can search on dofe.gov.np. Confirm the name matches exactly and that the agency is shown as active. It's also sensible to ask which government approval covers your specific vacancy, and to confirm with the Department what reference applies.

Anywhere else

Find your national foreign employment or labour ministry and look for its list of licensed recruiters. If your country has no public register, ask the agency for its licence details and check with the ministry directly. Whichever country you're in, also look for practical signs of a real business: a physical office you can visit, a landline, a proper website and a named contact. An agency that only exists as a mobile number is a risk.

Read the Contract Line by Line

Before you pay or sign anything, read the whole contract. Better still, ask someone you trust to read it too. Check:

• Job title and duties. They should match what you applied for.
• Salary and how it's paid. Look for the amount, currency, pay dates and any deductions.
• Working hours, overtime and leave.
• Contract length and renewal terms.
• Accommodation, food and transport. Is it provided, and is it free?
• Medical cover.
• Return travel. Who pays, and under what conditions?
• Who pays for what. Visa, medical tests, flights and any fees should be spelled out.

Then compare the contract with the original advertisement. If the pay, role or location has quietly changed, don't accept the explanation "it's the same thing." Ask for the difference in writing.

The ILO's fair recruitment guidance says employment terms should be clear, written down and easy to understand, preferably in a written contract, and that workers should be told the location, requirements and tasks of the job. If your contract falls short of that, push back.

Before accepting an overseas job, learn more about international recruitment services and the manpower recruitment process to understand the steps involved in recruitment and deployment

Understand the Visa and Work Permit

Ask which visa you will enter on and who is applying for it. A tourist or visit visa is not a work visa. Starting a job on the wrong one can leave you without legal protection, and in some countries it can lead to fines or removal. Also ask whether your trade needs additional steps. Some regulated professions, such as nursing and engineering, may require registration in the destination country, and that can take time. A good recruiter tells you this early. A bad one mentions it after you've paid.

Be Careful With Money

This is where most scams bite, so it deserves its own section. The ILO's principle is that no recruitment fees or related costs should be charged to, or borne by, workers or jobseekers. National rules differ, and some countries allow limited, regulated charges, so check what applies where you live. In any case:

• Ask for every cost in writing before you pay.
• Get a receipt for every payment.
• Pay only through traceable business channels, never to a personal bank account or mobile wallet.
• Never pay anyone who guarantees a job, a visa or a salary. No honest recruiter can guarantee those.

Common Red Flags

Take a step back if you notice any of these:

1. 1.You're asked to pay before you've seen a written offer.
2. 2.The salary is far above what that trade normally earns.
3. 3.The offer arrived through social media or a messaging app from someone you don't know, and you never applied.
4. 4.You're told to decide within a day or keep the offer secret.
5. 5.The agency can't or won't share its licence number.
6. 6.Communication uses free email addresses only, with no office.
7. 7.You're asked to hand over your original passport or certificates before anything is formally agreed.
8. 8.The contract is missing, unclear or different from what you were promised.
9. 9.You're told to travel on a visit visa and "convert" it later.

One red flag deserves questions. Several together mean you should walk away.

What to Do If Something Feels Wrong

Stop paying. Keep every message, receipt and document. Don't hand over original documents. Then contact your national authority for foreign employment or the police. Indian job seekers can lodge complaints about a recruiting agent through eMigrate or with the Protector General of Emigrants, and can also approach the nearest Indian embassy or consulate or use the MADAD portal. If you're already abroad, your country's embassy or consulate is the right first call.

How Rahat International Describes Its Process

General advice is useful, but it helps to see what one agency says about how it works. The following comes from the Rahat International website. Rahat International is a recruitment company based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Its website lists industries including construction, engineering, oil and gas, hospitality, transport and logistics, and its FAQ describes a nine-step process: client demand and paperwork, pre-approval, advertisement, interview and selection, medical and documents, visa stamping, final approval, ticketing and deployment, and after-recruitment service. On offers, the FAQ says a genuine one is provided in writing and names the employer, role, salary and key terms. It also asks candidates who are unsure about any communication claiming to come from Rahat International to contact the company directly. That's a sound standard to hold any agency to. Ask every recruiter you talk to to walk you through each stage, and verify their registration with your own authorities. That includes us.