Tk 30,000cr lost to illegal migrations in 2022 alone

Unregulated middlemen continue to dominate the recruitment of Bangladeshi migrant workers to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, eclipsing formal and family-based channels, according to a new study by Ovibashi Unnayan Karmi Programme (OKUP).

The research shows that 56 percent of the1,084 migrant workers from eight migration-prone districts relied on informal or illegal agents to start or facilitate their migration despite ongoing government efforts to regulate the sector.

Only 7 percent of the migrants said they used licensed recruiting agencies, underscoring the limited accessibility of formal channels, especially in rural areas.

Family members were involved in 8 percent of the cases, while distant relatives played a role in 31 percent of the cases.

The study revealed that Bangladeshi migrants in GCC countries lost an estimated Tk 30,000 crore in 2022 alone due to unethical and fraudulent recruitment practices under so-called "free visa" systems.

This amount equals around 0.54 percent of Bangladesh's total GDP that year.

According to the report, these financial losses resulted from inflated recruitment costs, post-arrival extortion and hidden expenses faced by migrants travelling under unregulated "free visa" arrangements.

The inflated costs were three to six times higher than the government-approved migration rates, effectively transferring Tk 30,000 crore in additional expenses to destination countries.

Around 51 percent of respondents said they migrated with a "free visa," while 49 percent travelled under a non-free visa category.

Although the government had set fixed migration fees, the study found that migrants were charged exorbitant and unregulated rates.

The cost was six times higher in Kuwait, three times higher in both Oman and Saudi Arabia, four times higher in Qatar and three times higher in the UAE.

Among the migrants surveyed, 57 percent eventually secured official work permits without additional payments.

However, 21 percent reported paying an average of Tk 1,48,880 to obtain their permits.

Another 4 percent paid about Tk 44,000 to find jobs, and a similar proportion spent roughly Tk 48,889 on return flights after job losses.

Before receiving their first salaries, all migrants faced unavoidable living expenses such as food and accommodation, costing about Tk 30,000 on average.

Altogether, the total expenditure by Bangladeshi workers in GCC countries amounted to Tk 30,027 crore in 2022.

The report also pointed out that the term "free visa" is misleading, since such visas are neither free nor legally recognised, said OKUP Chairperson and lead researcher Shakirul Islam.

The findings could serve as a guideline for reforming the migration sector, said Neyamot Ullah Bhuiyan, senior secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Citing the report, he highlighted that 54 percent of recruitment occurred through illegal sub-agents and stressed the need to ensure transparency and accountability in the sector.