The government's expatriate membership registration programme could not make any significant headway for years due to lack of proper initiatives by Bangladesh's mission offices in job destination countries, according to sector insiders.
The Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB) launched the enlistment programme for the Bangladeshi expatriate workers and diaspora (long-term expatriates) in June 2017 to bring them under the government database.
The expatriates can get membership by paying an immigration clearance fee of Tk 3,500 each. Only 66,123 Bangladeshis received membership cards until June 2021, showed the WEWB data.
A large number of Bangladeshis are staying abroad without having immigration clearance certificates and smart cards by the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET). Usually they are not entitled to receive services of the WEWB.
If they are enlisted in the official database, they will be allowed to enjoy services and benefits, provided by the board.
Officials and sector insiders said every year a significant number of workers went abroad through unofficial channels. After a certain period, many of them get legal status. They can apply for the membership card.
Although there are no exact figures of such workers, manpower recruiters said the number would not be less than 3.0 million across the world.
Migration experts said the embassies should be proactive to bring more Bangladeshi expatriates, especially workers, under this arrangement to ensure services.
On the other hand, this database will also help to provide information on how many Bangladeshis are staying abroad with employment right now, they added.
So far the WEWB has started the programme at 24 mission offices in 21 countries. Of the total memberships, the highest number is in Jeddah with 34,709, followed by 15,871 in Riyadh, 4,426 in Milan, 3,338 in Rome, 3,236 in Dubai and 2,096 in Greece.
However, the number of memberships in others countries is very low.
The data showed that only 98 Bangladeshis received membership in Iraq, where in Jordan 93, Malaysia 46, Oman 26, Singapore 25, the Maldives 11, and Lebanon 05. The lowest number is in Mauritius with three memberships.
The board maintains a welfare fund for the expatriate Bangladeshis, and provides different services and financial supports to them.
The families of dead migrant workers get Tk 300,000 each as financial support, and ailing workers get Tk 100,000 each for treatment purposes from the WEWB.
It also runs a stipend programme for meritorious children of the migrant workers. In addition, it has also taken a reintegration programme for the Covid-impacted returnee migrant workers recently.
Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme (OKUP) Chairman Shakirul Islam said the missions should carry out publicity campaigns among the expatriates about the benefits of registration.
He also emphasised ensuring smooth services to the expatriates, so that they are encouraged to come under the registration. When contacted, an official at the WEWB said they are thinking on how to make the programme more worker-friendly.
According to the BMET data, more than 13 million Bangladeshis have gone abroad since 1976. Most of them are working in the Middle-Eastern countries.
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