Saudi Arabia deports over 500 BD migrants in 15 days

FT ONLINE

Bangladeshi workers have kept returning from Saudi Arabia in an increasing number since the kingdom started deporting the undocumented migrants, sources said.

Statistics at the Probasi Kalyan Desk at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) show that more than 500 Bangladeshi male workers returned home from the Arab country between September 26 and October 10 this year. Of the total, 106 arrived on Wednesday.

Besides, about 450 more workers are still waiting at the deportation centre in the Middle Eastern country to be repatriated in phases, according to returnee workers.

Police are arresting 200 workers on an average every day and taking them to the deportation centre, they said.

However, experts and rights activists suggested that the government do not send workers on individual or so-called free and house visas as workers do not get jobs there accordingly.

They observed that in the name of free and house visas, a section of manpower recruiters and Saudi employers were involved in visas trade.

They sell visas at high prices and cannot provide jobs; so many workers are now becoming irregular and being forced to return home.

About 80 per cent Bangladeshi workers are going to Saudi Arabia on free visas.

Several workers said they went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with individual or so-called free visas.

Although the recruiters promised them good jobs and Iqama (residence permit) or work permits, they actually did not get those.

So they were forced to work temporarily in different sectors.

As they were not employed under the Kafil (sponsors), as mentioned in their visas and contract papers, they became undocumented and ended up getting arrested.

Rony Alam was forced to return home within six months after he had gone to Saudi Arabia as he had no work permit.

He said his employer promised him to provide work permit within three months; but in vain.

"I worked at a restaurant very carefully so that law enforcers could not find me," said Mr Alam, who returned home on October 03.

But on September 19, police arrested him and took him to the deportation centre.

Mr Alam, hailing from Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka district, said though he had gone to the kingdom through the official channel, he had to be deported.

"So why the Saudi government is giving visas?" he questioned.

If they (the Saudi government) do not need workers, they can convey this clearly to the Bangladesh government, he noted.

Alam went to Saudi Arabia spending over Tk 400,000, and a maximum amount of the money was taken as loan from relatives.

Tasneem Siddiqui, founding chair of Refugee and Migrating Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), said both the free visa and house visa should be stopped for sending workers to Saudi Arabia.

"Bangladesh government should take immediate measures to this effect," she added.

Although house visas are obtained for the housekeeping sector, the recruiters sell those to workers like free visas. So instead of housekeeping sector, workers search jobs in others sectors. In this way, they become irregular and end up being deported home.

Manpower recruiters also purchase individual visas from Saudi Arabia. A section of Saudi officials are involved in visa trade.

Earlier, workers could manage jobs with free visa but now it is very difficult as the Saudi authorities are now enforcing stricter rules, the RMMRU chair said.

Consequently, the government should put more focus on ensuring safe migration than sending workers in a large number, she added.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development in the KSA banned foreign workers in 12 categories of job in January last and the embargo came into effect in September.

Many of the foreign workers will lose jobs within the next three months with Saudi Arabia implementing the restriction in phases.

Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) chairman Shakirul Islam said only for increasing the number of employed people, the government should not allow sending workers there on free visas.

"As the job opportunities have declined notably in the Middle Eastern country, now the government should rethink sending workers on free visas and house visas," he said.

In the last two years, Bangladesh sent the highest number of workers to Saudi Arabia.

Among 1.0 million workers, 551, 308 went to the Arab country in 2017, data at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training show.

In nine months of the current year, Saudi Arabia has hired 187,224 workers from Bangladesh.

Around 1.5 million Bangladeshis are now working in Saudi Arabia in different trades.

Bangladesh has received the highest amount of remittance from the Middle Eastern country.