The government’s recent decision to eliminate the need for ministry approval before migrant workers can travel abroad is a much-needed reform that promises to streamline the migration process, according to the lead story of our newspaper on Friday.
We know it has been a bureaucratic red tape for years that required approval from the relevant embassy, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, and BMET – causing significant delays, often leading to missed employment opportunities.
The business in the manpower recruiting industry, led by its association Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), welcomed this move.
Experts hope it will save weeks in processing time and reduce the corrupt practices of some officials who exploit the approval system to solicit bribes.
However, while this policy is a commendable step forward, it addresses only part of the larger issues in Bangladesh’s migration sector. High migration costs remain a crippling burden for aspiring migrant workers.
Despite the political change following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, recruitment agencies continue to charge exorbitant fees, driven by entrenched syndicates controlling visa trading, medical tests, and airfare.
Many workers, desperate to find employment abroad, are forced to borrow large sums of money or resort to illegal migration routes, exposing themselves to economic and physical vulnerabilities.
It is clear that merely reducing bureaucratic delays will not suffice. The government must urgently tackle the high migration costs, tarnishing Bangladesh’s reputation abroad and limiting access to overseas jobs.
Policies such as “zero migration cost” or “migration at the employer’s expense,” as advocated by migration rights activists, need to be implemented and enforced.
We must say that the recruiting agencies should be held accountable to follow the government’s set migration costs for the 17 approved countries.
Failure to address these fundamental issues risks undermining the positive effects of recent reforms.
We firmly believe that without strong oversight and further regulation, Bangladesh’s migrant workers will remain vulnerable to exploitation, and the country’s broader ambitions in overseas employment will continue to face significant challenges.