The government has fixed the cost of migrating to Malaysia at Tk1.54 lakh per worker and warned that any agency or individual charging more will face action.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced the figure at the ministry in Dhaka on Thursday morning. He said the government would act against anyone who demands extra money from workers.
Some stakeholders say the total cost could reach Tk2 lakh to Tk3 lakh, the minister said. He added that workers would not have faced these difficulties if recruitment costs had stayed within the limits set by the government.
A final list of approved medical centers will be published next week, he said.
Before Malaysia closed its labor market on May 31, 2024, the previous government had set the cost at about Tk79,000. The new figure is almost double that. Even though the earlier ceiling was below Tk1 lakh, recruiting agencies were accused of charging workers up to Tk6.5 lakh.
The state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) has begun preparations to send 10,000 workers to Malaysia at zero migration cost. It has started recruiting 112 workers for DHL Supply Chain, a Malaysian company.
BOESL Managing Director Mohammad Rashedul Haque gave details at a press conference at the ministry on the same day. He said the government has received 568 demand letters from Malaysian employers, and BOESL aims to finish recruitment and begin sending workers before December. He said DHL's cooperation should help workers leave quickly, though a delay of a day or two cannot be ruled out for unavoidable reasons.
BOESL will not interfere in the selection, and candidates chosen by the employers will be final. The Malaysian recruiting company will pay all migration expenses prescribed by the government for the selected workers. BOESL will charge neither employers nor workers any migration cost or service fee.
"Zero means zero," he said.
He warned of legal action, subject to evidence, against brokers, middlemen or unauthorized people who collect money at any stage, and against candidates involved in unethical financial dealings. He urged prospective workers not to pay anything connected to recruitment.
