The story of ‘free visas’ and millions of workers returning empty-handed

Narayanganj’s Md went to Malaysia a year ago with the hope of turning his luck around. Salim. It cost about five lakh rupees. But the recruiting agency took money from the one who talked about the job, went abroad and involved Salim in the opposite work.

“I said let it be given in the general works of construction. But they let me do the hammering in the piling at the beginning. I’ve never done that. But they forced me to do it. My hands trembled. But there was no other way. “

Salim was working under pressure when he met with an accident. There are physical and mental problems. He also alleged that he was not given proper treatment.

“At one point I thought I was going to die. I wanted to go home for two or three weeks. But the company did not agree. I didn’t decide to come back. They have not been paid for the last two months. “

“I have three kids and I can’t even get three chocolates from Malaysia. I didn’t get three dollars. It was better to die abroad. In Bangladesh, I can’t educate my children, I can’t provide them with food and clothes, “he lamented. Salim.

Added to this is the pressure to repay loans. Salim doesn’t know how to pay.

Many people in Bangladesh have faced a similar situation as Selim’s experience in exile. Every year millions of workers from the country go to work in different countries of the world including the Middle East and then return empty-handed.

But as much as there is talk about sending workers, there is no such discussion about the return of workers to Bangladesh.

However, the issue of manpower export came up again during the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Bangladesh last week.

But why are Bangladeshi workers returning from different countries, including Qatar, failing? Why and how are they being targeted?
The Story of the Free Visa

Khademul Islam (pseudonym). A few months ago, I went to Kuwait as a labourer. However, his visa did not come from any recruiting agency. A Qatari expatriate in his area got him a visa. It’s called a free visa. He has no job and no salary. He will go to Kuwait. But he has to find a job.

In this case, acquaintances in Qatar will help him. That’s how the contract is worded. In return, the Bangladeshi person who has procured the expatriate visa through a Kuwaiti citizen will get several lakhs of rupees. Kuwaiti citizens will also get a part from here.

But since it is not possible to go to the Middle Eastern countries in this way, the help of a licensed domestic recruiting agency is taken in this case.

The recruiting agency does all the paperwork including appointment letter, Akama, salary, type of work, air-ticket, etc. in front of the visa issued by the Kuwaiti citizen. In return, they had to pay several lakhs of rupees. This process is known as a free visa.

Khademul Islam went to Kuwait five months ago on this’ free visa ‘. It cost him seven lakh rupees.

But after he left, he couldn’t find a job. He stayed there for several months. He also got some retail jobs. But the salary is less. He told the BBC:

“I didn’t know it was going to be like this. It’s hard to find work here. My work permit is for one year. But it is not possible to recover the money spent in one year. And the Kuwaiti citizen who managed my visa from the Kuwaiti government by showing me the need for employment, he will not give me a job. “

“His job was to manage the visa. Rather, I will have to go back to him for Akama’s extension after one year. He will have to pay another Rs. They often do not extend the period of akama. Instead, he appealed to the Kuwaiti government to give Akama to someone new. He’ll get more money. We have no choice but to be illegal. “

Khademul Islam now thinks that it was possible to do something in the country with the money he spent.

“Everyone wants to go abroad. But I can’t tell you what’s going on here. People in the village think that my family has become rich. I send a lot of money. But I can’t tell you what’s going on here. ” Islam.

What is the number of workers who fail?

The workers returned due to various reasons, including not getting the desired job, low salary, non-renewal of Akama, and illness.

But when they come back, they can’t earn enough. As a result, they are forced to repay loans back home.

But there is no count of the number of such workers returning to Bangladesh.

However, the workers who are arrested by the police for being illegal or arrested for any other reason are sent back to Bangladesh with an out pass.

There is an account of the workers who came back with these out passes. The number of such workers in 2023 is more than 86 thousand. And 15,000 returned in the first three months of 2024.

In total, the number of workers returning with outpasses in a few years is on average 70 to 80 thousand per year.

Overall, however, the number of workers who returned unsuccessful is thought to be several times higher. But the government does not have the numbers.

Who’s responsible?

The job of sending workers from Bangladesh to different countries of the world is mainly done by recruiting agencies. The victims allege that though workers are sent through contracts mentioning specific jobs, salary figures, etc., often the paper and reality do not match.

But the main problem is the free visa. Recruiting agencies and government agencies such as the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) say 65 to 70 percent of the manpower exported each year goes on free visas. In this case, the recruiting agencies are again doing their paperwork in exchange for money.

But the agencies are not taking full responsibility.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), said there is no single reason for the workers to return after failing.

“A lot of people are not working abroad. If he gets paid more, he will move on to another project. But it’s not legally binding. But they are taking the risk. But they have to come back, “he said. Chaudhary.

“And those who are going on a free visa through relatives, the money is mainly transacted with relatives. Here some recruiting agencies do only official formalities. So the entire responsibility should not be given to the agencies alone. “

মি. Chowdhury said if Baira receives a complaint of fraud against an agency, it recommends the ministry to cancel the license of that agency if there is any truth in it.

What’s the remedy?

BMET works to look after the grievances of the workers. The company has received more than two thousand complaints against various recruiting agencies in 2023.

However, less than half of these complaints have been resolved. A fine of Rs 7 crore has also been imposed. BMET said the fine amount has been refunded to the affected employees as compensation.

Apart from this, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare also takes steps such as cancelling or suspending the license of any recruiting agency.

But the question is, why these irregularities of the recruiting agencies are not being caught in advance? An official at the company declined to comment on the matter.

However, there was no official word from the ministry.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of Brac’s Migration Programme and Youth Platform, said the government cannot escape responsibility for the suffering of the workers.

“Every worker who goes abroad is given a smart card or clearance letter from BMET before going abroad. So giving a smart card from the government means that his job information abroad is fine, his company is fine. So when the government says that everything is fine, then if the worker does not get work in that country or sees that his salary is very low, then it is the failure of our regulatory authorities. “

According to him, there is a need for awareness and transparency on the part of employees, agencies and employers. And the government has to break the cycle of deception.

Incidents of fraud or fraud in the process of sending workers abroad from Bangladesh are not new. With this, especially in recent years, the return of empty-handed workers has come up in the discussion.

This is not only creating problems in the labour sector of Bangladesh, but also creating a new crisis in the society and family by increasing the pressure of unemployment in the country.