Home
+
Published : 27 Apr 2026, 06:57 PM
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has urged Saudi Arabia to recruit more skilled professionals from Bangladesh for "white-collar" jobs alongside traditional labour roles.
The minister made the request on Monday during a courtesy call from Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Jafar H bin Abiyyah at the Secretariat, according to a ministry media statement.
Expressing gratitude to the Saudi government for providing employment to approximately 3 million Bangladeshis, Ariful emphasised the need to diversify the workforce.
He called for opening more doors for professionals in office-based roles that prioritise mental expertise over physical labour.
Ariful said in line with the current administration's election manifesto, "expatriate cards" would be introduced to ensure modern facilities and benefits for migrant workers in the coming days.
He also proposed simplifying the registration process for recruiting agencies at the Saudi Embassy and urged efforts to significantly reduce migration costs.
During the meeting, Ministry Secretary Mokhtar Ahmed sought the Saudi government’s cooperation in reducing IQAMA (residency permit) fees.
He also requested the ambassador's assistance in protecting the rights of expatriate workers and ensuring a faster, smoother process for repatriating the bodies of Bangladeshi workers who pass away in the kingdom.
In response, Ambassador Abdullah noted that many of the issues discussed are already covered in a bilateral agreement signed in October 2025.
He suggested that any points not included in the current pact could be incorporated through further negotiations for a new agreement.
Addressing the issue of residency permits, the ambassador remarked that while IQAMA fees are legally the responsibility of the employer, they are often unfairly passed on to the workers -- a practice he said "should not happen", according to the statement.
The ambassador also highlighted growing cooperation in the education sector, noting that Saudi Arabia currently provides 250 scholarships to Bangladeshi students annually.
Plans are under way to double this number to 500 in the future, he added.
