The government of Saudi Arabia is going to start issuing visas for Bangladeshi overseas workers beginning on April 20, the Ministry of Labour announced recently. This follows an agreement signed last month between the two governments, said Ahmed Al-Fahaid, Deputy Labour Minister of Saudi Arabia. Mr.Al-Fahaid and Bangladesh Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Khandker Mosharraf Hossain signed the agreement in Dhaka on behalf of their respective governments.
Mr. Al-Fahaid said it was a comprehensive pact that protected the rights of employers and workers. Bangladeshi workers must be in good health, have no criminal record and should have sufficient training in their respective professions. They must also be aware of the Kingdom's religious and cultural environment and labor regulations, he said.
At present, there are 1.2 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom. The Kingdom recently lifted a ban imposed in 2008 on hiring of workers. In an earlier statement, Mr. Hossain said that his country has a data centre that has registered more than two million workers for foreign employment. They are trained workers including engineers, nurses and 500,000 maids. Dhaka has set up 64 centres to train the workers.
In January, Labour Minister Adel Fakeih of Saudi Arabia said that the Kingdom wanted to hire trained workers. He also welcomed the transparent vetting process instituted by all parties involved in the recruitment process.
Sherazur Rahman
sherazbd@yahoo.com
Overseas employment for our workers
FE Team | Published: April 16, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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