Saudi govt lifts ban on Bangladeshi workers

The ban was in force for the past six years except for the Bangladeshi domestic helps. The new decision would pave the way for all categories of Bangladeshi workers which include skilled, unskilled, professionals such as doctors, nurses, teachers, farm and construction workers, Bangladesh Ambassador Golam Moshi told Arab News. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia agreed to import one male domestic worker against each female housemaid. The process of lifting the ban began last year. Moshi said that this is good news for all prospective workers from the country. The envoy recalled that opening recruitment channels from Bangladesh is subsequent to the meeting between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June. “We are thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for allowing us to resume recruitment,” Moshi said, adding that the Kingdom has always stood with Bangladesh in good times and bad. Currently, there are some 60,000 female domestic helps among the 1.3 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom. “Visas for male domestics were issued only from June, and there is a sizable number coming into the Kingdom regularly,” he said, adding that 6,000 female workers on average are arriving in the Kingdom per month.