bijayas, yes. the manager at the airport. he was nice and understanding. you are right that it is more of a pain for us than it is worth, but i think it is helpful for the nepali govt to keep track of who's going where (remember the killings of the nepalis in Iraq) so that they can take measures to avoid abuse... particulary now that there're hundreds of thousands of nepalis working all kinds of jobs in the Gulf, southeast asia, etc. i wish they could make an exception in the law for the workers in the West who are more or less guaranteed a fair job/pay/environment, but they haven't. i agree, for us it has little value.. but i suggest that you obtain the labor department's approval. it just makes the whole thing simpler and helps avoid potentially having to return from the airport like some said they had to.