Job Abroad Brings Early Difficulties for Kenyan Woman in Romania

A Kenyan woman who recently moved to Romania for work says a recruitment agency representative kept her passport after an immigration registration process, leaving her uncertain about her status in a foreign country.

Sylvia Nyambura travelled from Kenya to Romania in search of better employment opportunities. Like many workers seeking jobs abroad, she relied on a recruitment agency to arrange her travel and help with her initial settlement after arrival.

According to Nyambura, she was taken to an immigration office for biometric registration, a standard requirement for foreign workers. She expected to leave with her passport after the process. 

However, she alleges that the agency representative retained the document without clearly explaining why or when it would be returned. The situation left her feeling vulnerable as she adjusted to life in a new country. 

Without her passport, she faced uncertainty while also dealing with language barriers and unfamiliar surroundings. Her account has renewed discussion about the treatment of migrant workers and the role of recruitment agencies in overseas employment. 

Migration advocates have long warned that the withholding of passports and other personal documents can increase workers' dependence on employers or intermediaries and expose them to potential exploitation. While overseas employment provides important economic opportunities, critics argue that workers are not always given clear information about contracts, rights and procedures before departure. 

They say weaknesses in oversight can leave migrants exposed to a range of risks.

Human rights organisations have called for stronger regulation of recruitment agencies, compulsory pre-departure training and better support systems for workers after they arrive in destination countries. 

They argue that such measures are necessary to protect migrants and ensure their rights are respected.