3.6m BD migrants worried at slow pace in MRP issuance

The slow pace in issuing machine-readable passports (MRPs) has created tension among 3.6 million Bangladeshi migrants in 13 countries as they will be considered illegal workers if the government fails to provide them with MRPs by November 24, reports UNB.

The old passport holders will not be allowed to travel to any country after the deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) making MRPs mandatory for all nationalities across the world.

Sources at the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry in Dhaka said there are 9.1 million Bangladeshi migrants in 160 countries.  Most of the old (non-MRP) passport holders (nearly 5.75 million) have been living in 13 countries. Among them, 2.07 million people were provided with MRPs, but nearly 3.6 million are yet to get the ones.

The 13 countries are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Italy, Korea, Mauritius, Japan, Egypt, Brunei and Jordan.

"It's a very important issue to us. I have held meetings with several ministers and high officials aiming to accelerate the issuance of MRPs to the Bangladeshi migrants," Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Empl-oyment Minister Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain told the news agency.