Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said the interim government is working intensely to remove visa-related complications for expatriate Bangladeshis and expand overseas employment opportunities.
He was addressing the nation at 8:20pm on Tuesday on the occasion of Student-People Uprising Day. The address was broadcast live on Bangladesh Television.
Prof Yunus said the United Arab Emirates reintroduced visas for Bangladeshi citizens, while Malaysia has, for the first time, introduced multiple-entry visas for Bangladeshi workers.
“We are also working on how to reduce visa complications with other countries,” he added.
The chief adviser said preparations already begun to send at least 100,000 Bangladeshi youths to Japan over the next five years. “We have started taking special training and other necessary measures to send young people there,” he said.
In addition, initiatives were taken to send skilled workers to various countries, including Italy, South Korea, and Serbia, he added.
Referring to the documentation issues faced by some expatriates, the chief adviser said steps were taken to regularize the status of those who had become irregular in countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Oman.
“We are reviewing the existing agreements with different countries so that they become more comfortable for our expatriate brothers and sisters,” he said.
The interim government, Yunus said, took initiatives to ensure that Bangladeshi citizens, both at home and abroad, receive all types of civic facilities wherever they are staying.