Play store
Bangladeshi migrant workers whose Saudi residence permits (iqamas) expired after flight disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels will be allowed to re-enter Saudi Arabia, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has said.
He said the workers would be permitted to enter the kingdom when they are able to travel, with their entry processed automatically through the electronic system.
The minister made the remarks on Monday at a discussion meeting at the BIAM Foundation auditorium in New Eskaton, Dhaka.
Addressing recruiting agencies, he stressed the need for closer cooperation between the government and private recruiters to achieve overseas employment targets and reduce migration costs.
“If a worker can go abroad for Tk 300,000, charging Tk 700,000–800,000 is unacceptable,” he said, urging agencies to conduct their businesses ethically and refrain from charging excessive fees that leave workers struggling to recover their expenses.
The minister said the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) was working to introduce modern technology to simplify overseas employment procedures and speed up visa verification.
The government also plans to introduce and publicise an open email service to receive and resolve complaints.
He urged recruiting agencies to help workers understand and comply with the laws and regulations of their destination countries.
State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque Nur called on the Saudi government to consider granting special pardons to Bangladeshi nationals imprisoned in the kingdom during the upcoming Ramadan.
He also expressed hope that bilateral issues between the two countries would be resolved through dialogue and urged recruiting agencies to lower migration costs.
Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Zafar H. Bin Abia said Bangladeshis constitute the largest expatriate workforce in Saudi Arabia after Saudi nationals. He expressed optimism that cooperation between the two countries in the labour sector would grow further.
The meeting was chaired by Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Mokhter Ahmed. BMET Director General Jamil Ahmed, Wage Earners’ Welfare Board Director General Md Asaduzzaman, BOESL Managing Director Mohammad Rashedul Haque, ministry officials, recruiting agency representatives and journalists attended.
Recruiting agency representatives called for simplification of the Takamol testing process, lower fees, resolution of manpower-related complications at BMET and measures to strengthen the effectiveness of recruiting agencies.
