DHAKA, 6 June 2006 — The Bangladesh government is expected to announce a new visa policy next month simplifying the procedure of issuing visas to foreign nationals visiting the country.
The new visa policy, to be unveiled after five years, will have 26 categories classifying different professions and services. The first visa policy formulated in 1991 had 10 categories and the second one amended in 2001 had 11 categories.
“The new visa policy will remove complications and help detect foreign nationals intending to overstay in Bangladesh,” State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar told reporters after chairing a meeting of the committee on visa policy. Babar, however, could not say how many foreign nationals were now overstaying in Bangladesh.
