3.5 lakh Bangladeshi workers to be legalized in Malaysia

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc on Wednesday said the Malaysian government has decided to issue temporary work permits to undocumented workers.

As part of the decision, around 3.5 lakh undocumented Bangladeshi workers would be legalized in Malaysia and get scope for working there,” he said while replying to a tabled question from opposition bench member M Shawkat Chowdhury of Nilphamary-4 in the Jatiya Sangsad.

The minister said the Malaysian government has taken the decision on legalization process on the basis of the telephonic conversations between Bangladesh prime minister and Malaysian prime minister on January 15, 2017. Otherwise, the undocumented workers would have to come back home, he added.

He said that informed the House that the Malaysian government has undertaken Rehiring Programme for legalization of undocumented workers.

Nurul Islam BSc said the timeframe of the Rehiring Programme has been increased by six months more due to diplomatic efforts of the Bangladesh government. .

The minister said over 2 lakh Bangladeshi workers were registered under the Rehiring Programme while the rest of 1.5 lakh would get similar scopes, he added.

The minister said the present government has initiated a process for the legalization of 20.67 lakh undocumented Bangladeshi workers abroad, including 8 lakh in Saudi Arabia, 2.67 lakh in Malaysia and 10 lakh in Iraq, through diplomatic efforts.

“Over one crore Bangladeshi workers are employed in 162 countries across the world,” he said.

Source: BSS