Rejecting the decision of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dhaka to allow a third agency, Shapla Center, to receive passports and stamp visas, the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) on Saturday announced non-submission of passports to the embassy for clearance.
In an emergency meeting of the BAIRA held at a city hotel, its President Md. Abul Bashar made the announcement demanding cancellation of the embassy’s decision terming it as another initiative of syndication, and illogical.
In the meeting, the leaders of BAIRA and its general members demanded to receive passports for the job seekers in Saudi Arabia and stamping the visas through BAIRA or Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), if necessary.
Earlier last week, the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dhaka gave its approval to receive passports and stamping the visas through Shapla Center, a private agency of a group of visa processing agencies of Bangladesh claiming that it was decided to avert its pressure and unnecessary hassles of people.
According to the Saudi Embassy letter sent to different agencies that usually send migrants to the country, the decision of introducing the new ‘Dropbox’ system was effective from Saturday.
However, rejecting the process, BAIRA President Abul Bashar and Secretary General Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman on Thursday sent a letter to the embassy demanding cancellation of the center.
Criticizing some BAIRA leaders in the meeting for their alleged involvement with the Shapla Center, which will receive the passports and stamp the visas on behalf of the embassy, some BAIRA members demanded punitive measures and expulsion from the trade body of the recruiting agencies.
The BAIRA President presided over the meeting while its secretary general and joint secretary general Fakhrul Islam moderated.
Among others, senior vice president Reaz-Ul Islam, vice president Noman Chowdhury, former secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury, leaders KM Tajul Islam, Abdul Alim, Siraj Miah, Moazzem Hossain, Abul Monsur Ahmed, Ahsanur Rahman Hasan, Nurul Islam Badsha, Anwar Hossain and Sazzad Hossain also spoke in the meeting.
In the meeting, the secretary general and vice president Noman Chowdhury assured that none of the present BAIRA leaders was involved with the Shapla Center.
In his speech, Abul Bashar said that more than 16 countries have been sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia. But, there are no passport receiving and visa stamping centers in the countries. So, Bangladeshi recruiting agencies will not allow any center called ‘Dropbox’ for the work. The Saudi Embassy must have to receive the passports and stamp the visas on behalf of their country.
“If the embassy doesn’t change its decision of receiving passport and visa stamping through dropbox, the country’s recruiting agencies will stop submitting passports to the embassy from Sunday (today). Those who are involved with the system will be punished and expelled from BAIRA,” he warned.