Bangladesh urges Qatar to expand visa centers at divisional level

Dhaka: Bangladesh has urged Qatar to establish visa and medical centers in all divisional cities to ease the migration process for Bangladeshi workers seeking employment in the Gulf nation.

The issue was highlighted during the 7th Bangladesh-Qatar Joint Committee Meeting held at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on May 18. Bangladesh’s Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Qatar’s Minister of Labor Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri attended the meeting, according to a press release from the ministry.

During the meeting, Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that currently there is only one Qatar visa and medical center in Dhaka, which is insufficient considering the growing number of workers traveling to Qatar. He requested the Qatari authorities establish visa and medical centers in all eight divisional cities to reduce suffering, travel costs, and delays for overseas job seekers.

Responding to the request, Qatar’s Labor Minister Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri assured that he would personally raise the matter with Qatar’s Interior Minister to facilitate the expansion of visa centers at the divisional level in Bangladesh.

The meeting also focused on strengthening bilateral labor cooperation. Qatar expressed strong interest in recruiting skilled workers from five selected Bangladeshi Technical Training Centers (TTCs) in four sectors — electrical work, plumbing, AC maintenance, and welding.

Praising the performance of Bangladeshi workers in Qatar, Dr. Al Marri said around 473,000 Bangladeshis are currently employed in the country, with nearly 30 percent engaged in development-related sectors.

Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury described Qatar as one of the most attractive labor markets for Bangladesh and expressed hope that the number of Bangladeshi workers going to Qatar would increase significantly this year.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from both countries, including Qatar’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Ali Mahdi Saeed Al-Qahtani, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md. Mokhter Ahmed, and other high-ranking representatives.

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