About 10,000 Bangladeshis are facing uncertainty about their jobs in Europe due to the suspension of Indian visas, as they have to obtain their visas from India for their western destinations.
Croatia, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Romania and Portugal do not have missions in Bangladesh. If Bangladeshis want to go to these countries, they need to go to India for visas.
Since the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) has remained closed indefinitely, Bangladeshis seeking to travel to those countries on work visas are in great trouble, sector insiders said.
Md Siddiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, general secretary of the Recruiting Agencies Association of Bangladesh for Europe and Developed Countries (RAABED), said at least 10,000 work permits will expire by September, while 2,000 to 3,000 this month.
Once the work permit expires, employers no longer want to hire those workers. They then recruit workers from other countries like India to meet the demand.
Bangladeshi workers are usually employed in the construction, services, hospitality industries and food delivery sectors.
"To obtain a visa from these countries, a worker has to apply physically, as a biometric fingerprint is mandatory."
"We've always faced problems in receiving Indian visas, but now we are in big trouble as all visa centres have remained closed for an indefinite period," Mr Bhuiyan added.
All IVACs in Bangladesh remained closed since August 07 following an unstable situation centring the anti-discrimination movement that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to leave the country.
They will raise this matter with Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, the RAABED secretary said.
"We'll request him to speak to the Indian high commissioner or the foreign minister in this regard," he added.
India should resume visas at least to those who have valid work permits and papers to go to Europe, he thinks.
Mirazul Karim paid around Tk 900,000 to go to Poland. Even though he received a work permit from his employer, he is worried about his visa.
"If I don't get the visa by next month, my trip to Poland will be uncertain," the jobseeker says.
Many students are also losing opportunity to study in these European countries despite getting scholarships following the closure of the Indian visa centres.
If students want to study in these countries, they have to have a visa interview in the nearest country, India.
On the other hand, among the top five countries, India received the highest number of visitors from Bangladesh, as of June this year.
However, due to the suspension of Indian visas in Bangladesh, the number of tourists from the country has decreased by almost 90 per cent.
According to statistics of the Ministry of Tourism, India showed that the neighbouring country received the highest 21.55 per cent of tourists from Bangladesh, followed by 17.56 per cent from the United States of America, 9.82 per cent from the United Kingdom, 4.50 per cent from Canada, and 4.32 per cent from Australia in the January-June period of the current year.
An estimated 2.0-million Bangladeshis visit India annually for various purposes, including tourism, medical treatment, business ventures, education and family visits, said Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) Director (Accounts) Md Saiful Islam.
However, due to the country's unstable situation, and the suspension of visas, visitor influx from Bangladesh to India has declined by about 90 per cent in recent days, he mentioned.
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