Stop fraud or face 'dire consequences': Nurul Haque warns recruiters
If the recruiting agencies fail to end syndicates and fraudulent practices targeting migrant workers, ‘dire consequences’ await them, warns Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment State Minister Md Nurul Haque on Thursday.
Speaking at the inauguration of an online Complaint Management Module at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka, he urged those ‘sucking the blood of the common people’ through illegal syndicates in the migration sector to reform themselves immediately.
The complaint platform, launched jointly by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), aims to provide a faster and more effective grievance redress mechanism for migrant workers and their families.
Questioning why agencies charge migrant workers Tk 1.2 million to Tk 1.5 million for jobs in Singapore, the State Minister asked, "Does the Singapore authority take this money? No. They have authorised six training institutes. These institutes are charging the money, forming syndicates and becoming owners of hundreds of millions."
Nurul Haque sought everyone's cooperation in controlling the syndicates that hold expatriates hostage.
He noted that various intelligence agencies, including the Detective Branch (DB) are closely monitoring syndicates that extort migrant workers. The government will no longer tolerate irregularities such as renewing licences of unqualified recruiting agencies, he added.
He emphasised that recruiting agencies must have accountability toward the country's citizens and that the government is taking a firm stance to restore complete transparency to the sector.
The state minister also said the government had instructed authorities to take strict action against misleading and fake social media advertisements promising overseas jobs, including recruitment for Malaysia. Advertising overseas employment without ministry approval is illegal, he said, urging BMET to intensify mobile court drives.
Nurul Haque also alleged that some officials demand bribes of Tk 10,000 to Tk 20,000 from poor migrant workers seeking loans from the Probashi Kallyan Bank, calling for an immediate end to the practice.
The State Minister claimed that nearly 3,000 licensed recruiting agencies are involved in irregularities, adding that only 400 to 500 would remain if regulations are properly enforced.
The government, he concluded, will take a strong stance to bring order to the migration sector, including the cancellation of licenses for fraudulent and irregular recruiting agencies.
Professor Tasneem Siddiqui, Executive Director of RMMRU, stated that the launch of the online complaint system will expedite justice for migrant workers facing harassment.
Citing results from a study conducted by the organisation, she noted that approximately 51 per cent of migrants fall victim to fraud in some way. Additionally, 19 per cent were unable to go abroad despite paying money, and 32 per cent were subjected to abuse once abroad.
Professor Tasneem Siddiqui believes that the launch of the online digital platform will increase the amount of recovered compensation tenfold.
She added that due to various types of fraud, the number of female migrations in 2025 decreased by about 41 per cent compared to 2022. Through this new module, expatriates can file complaints online and track their progress from home, reducing repeated visits to government offices and improving governance in the migration sector.
Urging expatriates to be vigilant, Md Shakirul Islam, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, said, "Our sincere effort is to ensure that no expatriate falls victim to fraud. But the reality is that many do. Expatriates must also be careful so that they do not fall into the deception or traps of broker syndicates."
The event was presided over by Md Mokhtar Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.
He stated that most of the complaints they receive are found to be true.
Common allegations include fraud by recruiters who collect money without sending workers abroad, illegal occupation of migrants' property in Bangladesh, and missing expatriates.
The new system will enable migrants to submit complaints online from anywhere, he added.
In his welcome speech at the beginning of the ceremony, Jamil Ahmed, Director General of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), said that from now on, expatriates worldwide can file complaints online and easily track the status of their grievances.
He also mentioned that in 2025, BMET settled 500 complaints manually and secured Tk 100 million in compensation for expatriates.
The event also heard testimonies from Bithi Akter, wife of a Bangladeshi migrant in Saudi Arabia and migrant worker Md Majumdar Ali, who shared his experience of obtaining redress through the complaint mechanism.
The Online Complaint Management Module was developed as a joint initiative of BMET, RMMRU and Systech Digital Limited.
This new module of the Overseas Employment Platform will bring all District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMO) and the central complaint management of BMET under an integrated digital framework.
The Online Complaint Management Module has been jointly developed by BMET, RMMRU and Systech Digital Limited. Integrated into the Overseas Employment Platform, it will connect all District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMOs) with BMET's central complaint management system under a unified digital framework.
The platform enables migrant workers and their family members to submit complaints online, upload supporting documents, track case progress and receive notifications.
BMET officials will be able to manage the entire complaint process digitally, including registration, investigation, mediation, decision-making, resolution, monitoring and reporting.