Govt to make list of foreign consultants with expired visas

The government has moved to list foreign consultants with expired visas working on several development projects in Bangladesh.

Last week, the Economic Relation Division (ERD) wrote to several ministries and agencies to reveal how many foreign consultants were working on development projects despite their visas having expired.

The ERD’s move came in response to a letter written by the Ministry of Home Affairs asking it to identify the errant foreign consultants employed in the different projects.

“Some foreign consultants in league with the project-related-ministries and divisions are illegally staying in the country,” said an official at the ministry.

In the letter, the ERD also asked the ministry to ensure visa extensions for the foreign consultants and post the copies of those on the concerned official websites without any delay.

At present, more than 3,000 foreign nationals are working on 347 projects, according to the ERD.

Most of the Chinese consultants and technical persons have been employed in 12 projects, including the ongoing Padma Bridge — the country’s largest physical infrastructure.

As many as 250 Russian consultants and technicians have been working at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant — the country’s first nuclear project.

“We have already fined those foreign consultants and technicians who are illegally working under the different development projects in the country,” Director General of Department of Immigration and Passports Major General Mohammad Ayub Chowdhury told Business Insider.

He also said the home ministry and Economic Relations Division will take legal action against those who are staying here using false documents coined with the help of concerned ministries and divisions.

Md Shahiduzzaman, secretary to the security services division, could not be contacted for a comment on the matter.

In the current budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, the government designed a Tk214,000 crore annual development programme. Of the funds, it allocated Tk70,502 crore from foreign aid.

The countries of origin of the consultants are India, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Germany, United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Singapore, France, Indonesia, Philippines, Norway, and Nigeria.

Most of the foreign consultants and workers in Bangladesh are working in the garment and textile-related sectors. And a significant number of foreigners is employed in various development projects, multinational corporations, power plants, international NGOs, leather industry, medical services, and hotels and restaurants, according to a study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).