Reza Mahmud :
Huge number of Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in acute sufferings due to irregular iqama (work permits), sources said.
Stakeholders said, number of Bangladeshi migrant workers face arrests and jail. Many of those returned to home empty handed after arriving the kingdom spending handful amount of money.
They blamed the Saudi employers who are legally responsible for renewing iqamas frequently delayed these.
As a result, the Saudi authorities take actions against those migrants whose iqama were expired dates.
Frequently those workers face arrest, jail and fines. Sources said, many workers were arrive the country in so called free visas and failed to get jobs.
As a result, they fail to renew there iqamas and become undocumented workers and face authorities actions.
Leaders from Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) said, as the iqama fees are high, the employer showed reluctant to renew their workers work permits.
When contacted, BAIRA former Joint Secretary General Mohammad Fakhrul Islam on Friday told The New Nation, “Huge numbers of our workers are in suffering in the KSA due to employers negligence of renewing their iqamas in time.”
He said, the iqama renewing fees is 1100 Riyal which is considering a high amount. So the employer or the out sourcing companies who used to employ the migrant workers showed unwillingness to renew those.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has urged the Saudi authorities to take steps to curb the rising number of expired-iqama cases involving Bangladeshi migrant workers, as many employers are currently unable to renew iqamas due to financial or legal constraints.
The request was placed during a recent meeting in Riyadh between Dr Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Jarid, Chairman of the Saudi National Committee of Workers Committees.
According to an official source, Bangladesh also emphasized the need for timely issuance and renewal of iqamas for its workers. A significant number of Bangladeshi migrants reach Saudi Arabia without receiving the promised job, salary, or iqama on time.
To address this, Bangladesh proposed creating a dedicated recruitment management system-similar to the Musaned platform-for general workers.
It further suggested making QIWA contracts mandatory to sign and electronically verify in Bangladesh before workers depart, along with pre-visa checks on employer credibility and capacity to ensure job placement, proper wages, and timely iqama issuance.
Bangladesh appreciated Saudi Arabia’s online final-exit system for facilitating the return of workers with expired iqamas.
It also requested a time-bound procedure for issuing exit permits, integration of the Saudi exit-permit system with Bangladesh’s Expatriates Department, and priority processing for workers facing medical emergencies or serious health conditions.
Both sides also discussed jointly preparing a Bangla-language guidebook outlining workers’ rights and responsibilities under Saudi labour law, workplace culture, social norms, legal support mechanisms, dispute-resolution channels, and emergency contacts.
Bangladesh called for incorporating Bangla into major digital services, including labour and residency service apps, health and transport apps, remittance platforms, and complaint or helpline systems.
Regarding the repatriation of deceased workers with expired iqamas, Bangladesh proposed making it mandatory for sponsors to cover repatriation costs if the employment relationship was still active at the time of death.
On the issue of medical expenses for Bangladeshi workers with expired iqamas, it was conveyed that discussions are underway to either waive medical bills for workers who remain under active employment, or to allow recovery of those costs from sponsors under existing labour responsibility rules.
