Malaysia welcomes 7,964 BD workers in phased entry scheme

Staff Reporter :

A total of 7,964 Bangladeshi workers, out of the 18,000 who were unable to travel to Malaysia by May 31 last year, have been selected for entry into the Southeast Asian nation in the first phase, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam shared the update during the ministry’s weekly media briefing yesterday.

He explained that on December 5, 2024, the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Malaysia held a meeting with Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in Kuala Lumpur.

The meeting focused on resolving the issue of nearly 18,000 Bangladeshi workers whose migration to Malaysia had been delayed.

During the discussion, the Minister proposed the formation of a Joint Technical Group, comprising representatives from the Malaysian Immigration Department and the Bangladesh High Commission.

This group was tasked with facilitating the phased entry of these workers, Alam noted.

The spokesperson added that, following the formation of the group, two meetings were held on December 31 and January 14.

During these meetings, a list of over 17,000 workers was thoroughly verified with Malaysian stakeholders, resulting in the selection of 7,964 workers for the first phase.

These workers have been identified as eligible for immediate entry.

When asked about the process for the workers’ travel, Alam said that the Joint Technical Committee will finalise the procedures through continued discussions.