Malaysia is set to shut its door on foreign workers from the first day of the next month with many Bangladeshis waiting to travel to the country having completed their all travel procedures.
Bangladeshi recruiting agents and government officials said that the Malaysian government鈥檚 announcement to stop foreign workers鈥� entry after May 31 will also leave a large number of people aspiring to go to that country stuck midway as they are in different stages of the long recruitment and visa procedure.
Recruiters said that they had estimated 5,00,000 workers would migrate to Malaysia when the country reopened its market for Bangladeshis in August 2022 after keeping it suspended since September 2018 as massive irregularities in the migration procedures on both sides were unearthed.
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training statistics show that since the reopening of the market, a total of 4,46,500 workers migrated to the country.
The highest 3,51,683 people migrated in 2023, followed by 50,090 people in 2022, while 44,727 migrated till April this year.
BMET additional director general Mohammad Habibur Rahman estimated that at least 40,000 aspirants were still waiting to fly after completing all the process.
He said that the BMET is issuing Malaysia clearance on priority basis.
鈥極n Thursday, the BMET issued 8,000 immigration clearances for Malaysia,鈥� he said.
Currently, an aspirant migrant requires the 鈥楥alling visa鈥� and then the 鈥楨-visa鈥� issued by the Malaysian authorities before getting the final approval from the BMET to fly as a worker.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury said that on their request the government asked Malaysia to extend the entry time for at least one month, but Malaysian authorities refused.
Recruiting agency Zahrat Associate鈥檚 proprietor Md Shafiqul Alam (Firoz) said that as Malaysia is strict on the deadline, airfare to Malaysia now has shot to Tk 1 lakh, which was earlier Tk 35,000鈥�40,000.
Recruiting agency Midway Overseas Ltd鈥檚 managing director Muhammad Rafiqul Haider Bhuiyan said that over 3,300 workers migrated through his agency so far and at least 200 workers were waiting to fly.
BAIRA secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury said that the government so far arranged two special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights for migrants to Malaysia though it was not enough.
He said that their request for more flights could not be complied due to the priority of Hajj flights.聽
Malaysia is one of the top destination for Bangladeshi migrants where 12,01,215 people, which is 9.59 per cent of the total migrants, went since 2004.
After reopening door in 2022, migration to Malaysia dropped in January this year as it suspended issuing electronic visas as allegations of syndicated market manipulation resurfaced.
Calling visas issued by fake companies, syndicated market manipulation and high migration costs resulted in forced labour, joblessness, and unpaid or underpaid work after the market was reopened.
Migration experts estimated the number of people with calling visas at no less than 2.5 lakh. It means that these people are already in agreement with recruiting agencies and have paid migration charges.
One of them, Md Hasan Ali of Sirajganj, paid Tk 2.5 lakh to a recruiting agency and got only calling visa.
鈥業f Malaysia shuts door on May 31, what will happen to me?鈥� he lamented.
Migration experts said that recruiting agencies intentionally collected money from a much higher number of migration aspirants although they knew their limit.
Shakirul Islam, chairman of the Obhibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme, said that the aspirant migrants would bear the brunt of the sudden closure of the market, while recruiters, who already pocketed money from the aspirant migrants, would benefit.
鈥楪overnment agencies of both countries must bring the culprits to book,鈥� he said, adding that the Malaysian and Bangladeshi governments must ensure jobs for workers who are already there.
