The time to go to work visa in Malaysia ends on Friday night. Therefore, 31 thousand 701 laborers from Bangladesh to go to Malaysia within the stipulated period have become uncertain due to the lack of flight tickets despite getting visas and approvals.

According to Malaysia's announcement last March, no new foreign workers will be allowed to enter the country after Friday (May 31). According to the data of Bangladesh Manpower Employment and Training Bureau (BMET), the Expatriate Welfare Ministry approved 523 thousand 834 workers to go to Malaysia till May 21. Although there is no further approval after May 21, BMET information says that the Ministry has approved another 1,112 workers to go to the country. In other words, five lakh 24 thousand 946 workers were allowed to go to Malaysia till Thursday (May 30). Among them, 491 thousand 745 workers in the country went to Malaysia till Thursday.

Information from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport says that only 1,500 workers from Bangladesh can go to Malaysia today. That means the journey of 31 thousand 701 approved workers is being cancelled. About 20,000 workers from 14 countries were staying on the floors of the two international air terminals in Kuala Lumpur until yesterday. Among them, about 5 thousand workers are from Bangladesh. At the moment, the Kuala Lumpur airport is overcrowded with staff. Workers and employers are suffering. Employers are struggling to identify their employees. The workers say that they have been staying at the airport for three to four days. Some are finding employers, some are not. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport information says that seven flights will leave for Malaysia from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today. Among them, two flights of Biman Bangladesh, two of US-Bangla, one of Malaysian Airlines, one of Air Asia and one of Batik Airlines will go to Malaysia.

Recruiting agencies have complained of selling tickets at higher prices as Malaysia's labor market closes. Biman Bangladesh special flight ticket prices are also alleged to exceed Tk 1 lakh. On March 28, four independent experts of the United Nations wrote to the government of Malaysia and Bangladesh about the corruption in the recruitment process of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. However, the governments of both countries have not responded to this letter, the United Nations said. Last Sunday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published this letter. UN experts Tomoya Obokata, Robert McCorquodale, Gehad Madi and Siobhan Mullally wrote the letter. According to the letter, the Bangladeshi workers have to pay a recruitment fee of between four and a half to six thousand dollars per person, which is a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in 2021. According to the MoU, this fee will be up to $720. UN experts have asked both governments for details on the investigation, prosecution of perpetrators and ethical recruitment policies. However, as no government has responded within 60 days, it is reported that this letter will be presented to the Human Rights Council.