Saudi Ambassador pays courtesy call on Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Zafar H. Bin Abia paid a courtesy call on Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury at his office.

During the meeting on Monday (April 27), Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury thanked the ambassador for coming to the ministry and said, "On behalf of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, I express special gratitude to the Saudi government for providing employment opportunities to about 3 million Bangladeshi citizens currently in Saudi Arabia." The minister mentioned the government's future plans for the welfare of expatriates and said that various modern facilities will be ensured for expatriates in the coming days through the 'Expatriate Card' as per the election manifesto of the current government.

In the meeting, the minister proposed to simplify the registration process of recruiting agencies at the Dhaka Mission or Saudi Embassy and to significantly reduce immigration costs. He emphasized on further expanding the scope of the ‘Skill Verification Program’ currently in operation in 73 professions to ensure the recruitment of skilled manpower. In addition, discussions were held on modernizing Bangladesh’s Technical Training Centers (TTCs) according to Saudi Arabia’s standards and operating them under joint supervision.

The minister also said that it is necessary to create a digital database or ‘Qualified Talent Bank’ of verified and skilled workers, which will reduce the recruitment process from a few weeks to just a few days. He clearly informed the ambassador about the current government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against any kind of illegal transactions, irregularities or employee harassment in manpower recruitment. Moreover, he urged the ambassador to send skilled workers to Saudi Arabia as well as hire workers in white-collar jobs. Secretary of the ministry Md. Mokhtar Ahmed sought the Saudi government’s cooperation in reducing the Ikamah fee in the meeting.

At the same time, he sought the ambassador’s assistance in protecting the rights of expatriate workers and in the quick and easy repatriation of the body of a Bangladeshi worker who dies in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Ambassador Dr. Abdullah Jafar H. Bin Abia congratulated the current government at the outset. He mentioned that the agreement signed between the two countries in October 2025 includes many issues under current discussion.

He proposed to include the issues that are not in the agreement in the new agreement through negotiations. The ambassador also said that although the Aqama fee is supposed to be borne by the employing authority, in many cases it is imposed on the workers, which should not be the case. He requested the minister to hold accountable the 990 agencies registered in Saudi Arabia that do not follow the rules. He also proposed to create a special app in coordination with the Saudi government and the embassy for the speedy resolution of workers' complaints.

Regarding educational assistance, he said that currently 250 Bangladeshi students are being given scholarships, which is planned to be increased to 500 in the future. He called for taking necessary measures to start Saudi Airlines flights from Saudi Arabia to Sylhet Airport. At the end of the meeting, Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury invited the Saudi ambassador to visit the holy land of Sylhet in Bangladesh and said that necessary measures would be taken through discussions with the Aviation Minister regarding the launch of direct flights of Saudi Airlines from Saudi Arabia to Sylhet.

BNP Chairperson's Advisor Dr. Mohammad Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Saudi Embassy Consul Abdullah Al-Harbi, and senior officials of the Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Affairs Ministries were present at the time.