RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has not stopped issuing visas to Bangladeshi nationals seeking employment in industrial and agricultural sectors or even in households, the Bangladesh Embassy reiterated yesterday.
“The Kingdom is currently recruiting general laborers and workers in different categories as well as housemaids from Bangladesh,” said M. Haroonor Rashid, an embassy spokesman.
Rashid was commenting on reports that a Saudi government ban on Bangladeshi workers is continuing. The reports, which appeared in a section of local and Bangladeshi press, said that the Kingdom is also refusing to allow transfers of sponsorship for workers and professionals of a particular country. “Riyadh has never officially declared any total or partial ban on Bangladeshi workers as reported in the media,” Rashid said.
The reports said Saudi government agencies have been refusing to extend the residency permits of Bangladeshi immigrants’ children aged 18 and above.
“The reports are misleading and untrue,” Rashid said, substantiating the views of Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah bin Naser Al-Busairi, who said recently that the Kingdom has not put any restriction on hiring Bangladeshi workers.
“No official notification regarding the ban has been sent to the embassy at any time this year, and no such ban exists,” Rashid said, while explaining that problems arose and got compounded because of the complicity of a few workers in some criminal activities earlier this year.
The spokesman said that some companies and individuals, who were against the interests of Bangladeshis, launched a campaign to tarnish the image of the country at that time.
“And this campaign is still continuing,” he added.
Rashid pointed out that the total number of Bangladeshi workers exceeds 1.5 million.
