Britain wants illegal Bangladeshis to go back home

British Minister for Immigration James Brokenshire has raised with the foreign minister the issue of returns of Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in the UK.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Feb 2016, 11:45 AM
Updated : 15 Feb 2016, 12:50 PM

Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali informed Brokenshire that it was a “longstanding policy” of the Bangladesh government to bring back its nationals living in “irregular” situation anywhere in the world.
 
Bangladesh first verifies the nationality of the person in question through an “established process” before repatriation, Ali said. 
 
Both sides also agreed to consider the establishment of “a framework arrangement” to discuss bilateral and global issues of interest during the meeting on Sunday, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
 
Brokenshire also met Law Minister Anisul Huq and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal during his two-day visit. 
 
Before leaving Dhaka on Monday, he said Bangladesh and the UK are working together to prevent illegal migration and human trafficking.
 
This is to make both countries “safer by prosecuting the organised crime groups involved in illegal migration and human trafficking,” Brokenshire said in a statement.
 
He also visited Shahjalal International Airport and discussed with officials the forgery detection equipment donated by the UK last year to help combat illegal migration.
 
The equipment is now being used at the airport to detect false and counterfeit travel documents and prosecute criminals trying to use forged documents in order to travel overseas, the British High Commission says.
 
About half a million Bangladeshis live in the UK. But it is not clear how many of them are staying illegally there.