‘Will put pressure on recruiting agencies’

Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad. Star file photo

Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad said he will "put pressure" on recruiting agencies to speed up the sending process of migrant workers to Malaysia yesterday.

" ... About 12,000 to 13,000 papers have been processed so far but migration of people [to Malaysia] would be less than that," the minister said.

The minister was responding to a query from reporters after emerging from an event at a city hotel.

His remarks came amid a slow start to sending workers to Malaysia, which resumed intaking workers from Bangladesh in August, lifting a near four-year embargo.

As per BMET data, 4,659 migrant workers went to Malaysia for employment in September and another 573 workers went there in August. As per the ministry's figure, it has so far approved "employment permit" against demands of about 60,000 workers.

The minister said he will sit with recruiting agency leaders on Sunday to discuss the matter.

He said as far as the ministry and BMET are concerned, there's no reason for the slow process.

Recruiting agencies got the permission for sending workers. Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur attest those documents swiftly, while the ministry approves those and BMET processes the papers on time, he said. "So, there's a problem elsewhere."