Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh highlighted India’s digital approach to migration governance while speaking at the International Migration Review Forum 2026 in New York. He called for collective action to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration and outlined how technology is improving protections for migrants.
Singh described the Indian migration landscape as extensive and influential: a diaspora of more than 34 million people across over 200 countries that contributes to global economic and cultural ties through remittances, investments and knowledge exchange.
He said India adopts a holistic migration policy focused on the welfare, protection and empowerment of migrants at every stage — from pre-departure preparation and safe transit to dignified employment and return and reintegration.
Central to India’s approach is the e-Migrate platform, an end-to-end digital ecosystem Singh called a pioneering initiative. e-Migrate is designed to increase transparency in recruitment, verify employers and recruitment agencies, and ensure the integrity of employment contracts. Key features include secure documentation, verification of employment offers, zero-cost digital payment options, and multilingual 24/7 support to help migrants throughout their journey.
Recruitment through the portal is tightly regulated: only authorised, registered recruitment agents may facilitate overseas employment, and foreign employers can register to recruit Indian workers directly or via registered agents. A publicly accessible, digitally maintained list of authorised agents allows workers to verify agents before engaging with them, a step Singh said has significantly reduced fraudulent practices.
Singh provided usage figures for the system: about 298,000 registered foreign employers and 2,457 active recruitment agents on the e-Migrate portal. He also noted the portal’s integration with India’s wider digital ecosystem, including national job portals, digital skilling hubs and secure document repositories, which together help prepare and protect migrants.
A mobile application complements the portal, allowing users to track application status, access lists of registered and blacklisted agents, file grievances and obtain verified information. Singh also highlighted the role of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in personalising services, detecting risks and enabling proactive responses — all guided by principles of inclusivity, accessibility and trust.
Singh closed by urging international cooperation and mutual learning, stressing that migration is inherently transnational and that shared approaches are needed to uphold dignity and protect rights.
Background: Member States agreed in 2018 to review progress on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration through a State-led process involving multiple stakeholders. The second International Migration Review Forum was held at UN Headquarters in New York, with an informal multi-stakeholder hearing preceding the forum and the outcome framed around an intergovernmentally agreed Progress Declaration.
