Amid protests from the country’s recruiting agencies, a new visa service centre, ‘Tashira’ owned by two Saudi Arabian nationals is trying to get accreditation from the Royal Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dhaka to serve as a migrant visa processing centre bypassing already-approved ‘Shapla Centre’, which is owned by some Bangladeshi companies, according to the recruiting agency sources.
The recruiting agency owners have expressed fears that there is a grave concern over laundering remittance of Bangladesh by the Saudi nationals and the initiative should be strongly resisted by all quarters.
When contacted, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) President Abul Bashar told this correspondent, “After Saturday’s meeting, the Saudi ambassador discussed the matter at his office. He assured that the passports would be taken in the embassy, not in any visa centre.”
According to the documents available with this correspondent, two Saudi nationals named Fahad Suliman Al Amoud of Saudi Company for Visa and Travel Solutions and Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al Nowaiser of Tahakom Investment Company initiated the ‘Saudi Company for Visa and Travel Solutions Limited’ in November last year. The visa service centre ‘Tashira’ was initiated under the company, which has already been registered by the country’s Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC).
The owners of the new company have been trying to be enlisted as a visa service centre for the country with the support of some of the embassy officials, according to the recruiting agency sources.
However, ‘Shapla Centre’ is a locally established visa service centre for processing Saudi Arabia-bound Bangladeshi migrant workers and visit visas with an aim to liberalisethe visa processing protocol.
The representatives of the recruiting agencies claimed that there might have long queues in front of the embassy with strict security and personnel enquiry that used to impede passport submission. With the help of ‘Shapla Centre’, there was a solution in sight, with transparent benefit to all recruiting agencies.
They claimed that the visa processing fee of ‘Shapla Center’ is minimal and will go to the Bangladeshi recruiting agents. The money will stay in Bangladesh, benefitting the country’s economy.
However, Tashira Visa Centre is owned by two foreigners and they are being helped by a local group in Bangladesh with an ulterior motive.
According to the recruiting agents, when every taka and dollar counts, we cannot let this visa service centre owned by the foreigners take root in the soil of Bangladesh. Shaplacentre, a homegrown visa service centre, is already there to meet all the needs.
Some Bangladeshi recruiting agencies have already made a plea to the government to identify the local accomplices to ‘Tashira’ visa service centre and bring them to book at a time when nationalism should be our top priority.
