Members of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) staged a protest at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) in Dhaka's Kakrail on Wednesday, expressing their discontent over the bureau’s refusal to accept direct applications for emigration clearance, including for Saudi Arabia.
The demonstration escalated into a commotion, with verbal altercations and physical confrontations between the protesters and BMET officials and staff.
In response, a delegation of approximately 30 Baira members, led by the organization’s former joint secretary general Fakhrul Islam, engaged in discussions with BMET Director General Saleh Ahmed Mozzaffor.
During the meeting, Fakhrul Islam expressed frustration over repeated issues concerning BMET clearance, saying that no files were accepted that day.
He further criticized the abrupt decision to mandate online submission of applications without prior notice, adding that manual submissions were entirely refused.
"A reasonable transition period is necessary for implementing any new directive, yet some officials are creating an artificial crisis by disregarding this necessity," he said.
Representatives of recruiting agencies highlighted another sudden requirement introduced by BMET—the verification of Saudi visas.
They argued that had this been communicated at least a month in advance, they could have made the necessary preparations.
Previously, agencies were able to submit 40 to 50 applications daily, but from Wednesday, BMET has limited submissions to just one per day through the online system, they said.
Delwar Hossain, an employee of Brothers Manpower Service, voiced concerns over the abrupt policy shift.
He said: “Since yesterday (Tuesday), BMET has stopped accepting manual applications and has enforced online submissions. However, the system only allows one application per day. Our agency has numerous applications to process—how can we possibly manage them under these constraints?”
He further emphasized the urgency of the matter, saying: “Many of our workers have already booked their flight tickets. If they fail to obtain clearance cards in time, they will miss their flights. Such a sudden decision is highly impractical. We should have been informed at least a month earlier to make appropriate arrangements.”
Commenting on the situation, BMET Additional Director General (Employment) Mohammad Abdul Hai said: "We are currently in discussions with Baira leaders, and a decision will be communicated following the meeting."
