Diplomatic Correspondent :
Bangladesh citizens are facing challenges in obtaining visas in India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the July-August mass upsurge that toppled Sheikh Hasina government under the excuse of shortfall of manpower and strict controls.
The Indian High Commission (HC) in Bangladesh has drastically reduced the number of visa issues for Bangladeshi citizens, except a few for emergency, under the excuse of the shortage of manpower since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina government in August.
Many Bangladeshis generally go to India for improved medical treatment and obtaining visas for going to third countries as most of the embassies are located in Delhi.
Consequently, Bangladeshi people are facing challenges because India is not issuing visas to attend the interviews of other embassies which are not accepting virtual meetings.
Due to the limited availability of Indian visa services in Bangladesh, Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the Bulgarian and Romanian embassies to issue visas to Bangladeshi students, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.
“The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed to issue visas to 86 Bangladeshi students through its embassies in Vietnam and Indonesia. Similarly, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been facilitating visa issuance for Bangladeshi students through its embassies in Vietnam and Thailand,” he said.
Additionally, following Bangladesh’s request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan has agreed to issue visas to Bangladeshi students intending to pursue higher education in Kazakhstan via its embassy in Bangkok, he further noted.
As part of ongoing discussions, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced its interest in starting visa services for Bangladeshi citizens through VFS Global beginning in January 2025.
Foreign Ministry said that many European embassies are located in India, but 13 European embassies, including those of the European Union, are currently located in Dhaka. Bangladeshi students seeking to study in Europe primarily apply for visas to Finland, Austria, Portugal, and Greece.
“Due to complications with Indian visas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the embassies for alternatives instead of physical appointments.
Additionally, Bangladesh embassies in those countries have met with the relevant authorities and made similar requests. Despite repeated appeals, these countries have cited immigration laws and are unable to provide alternatives to in-person appointments,” Rafiqul Alam said.
Apart from visa complications for the Bangladeshi students, the UAE government has been stricter on various types of visas, including tourist and business visas.
However, the government of Bangladesh has requested the UAE authorities to look into the matter and the UAE in reply assured for consideration.
The foreign ministry spokesperson said that the UAE periodically revises its visa policies based on its own national interests.
“From the incident in July, various categories of Bangladeshi visa applicants have faced restrictions and tougher regulations. Following the July incident, the UAE government introduced even stricter controls.
Although the UAE government has not officially announced any new restrictions, it has been enforcing tougher measures,” he added.
Regarding the specific categories of Bangladeshi applicants facing visa issues, he said, “The matter has been raised with the UAE authorities, both formally and informally. They have assured that they are considering these concerns.”
He also said that the UAE has expressed concerns about the excessive crime rate among Bangladeshis living in the country, as well as issues like the exploitation of middlemen, high immigration costs, and the use of fraudulent documents.
“These challenges also apply to other Gulf countries such as Oman and Kuwait, where similar restrictions have been imposed,” he added.
He further mentioned that the UAE follows a quota system to maintain a balance of foreign nationalities, and this could be one reason behind the restrictions on visas for Bangladeshis.
