Valid visas, uncertain future: BD workers trapped by recruitment fraud in Malaysia

Many Bangladeshi workers who travelled to Malaysia with valid visas and proper documents are now facing an uncertain future after allegedly falling victim to recruitment agencies, middlemen and employers who failed to provide them with the promised jobs.

The workers say they completed the required procedures in Bangladesh, including obtaining clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), and arrived in Malaysia expecting to work for designated companies. But some were allegedly not placed in the promised jobs and have remained unemployed for months.

With loans to repay and families depending on their earnings, many have been forced to search for work every day despite the risks, according to the victims.

Some workers also allegedly became entangled in legal complications after failing to secure employment with their designated companies. They say difficulties involving employment documents have left some vulnerable to enforcement operations by Malaysian immigration authorities, police and other law enforcement agencies.

Those detained may subsequently face imprisonment, fines and other legal proceedings, with some eventually being deported to Bangladesh after losing the money they had invested to secure overseas employment.

The workers said they spent around Tk 500,000-600,000 each to come to Malaysia. Some sold land, others borrowed heavily, while some exhausted their families’ savings to finance their migration.

Now, having been deprived of jobs and income, many say they are struggling to repay their debts and have been left financially devastated.

Expatriate and migration experts have called for urgent intervention by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment to rehabilitate workers who were deceived and subsequently forced to return from Malaysia.

They also called for investigations into the recruitment agencies and intermediaries involved in the process and demanded that those responsible be brought to account.

Experts said a special database should be prepared for Bangladeshi workers who entered Malaysia legally but later became undocumented because of fraud or irregularities by their employers or recruiting agencies.

They suggested that the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur could verify the workers’ information and work with the Malaysian authorities to explore opportunities for restoring their legal status or transferring them to legitimate employers.

Malaysia has, at different times, allowed foreign workers to change employers or companies under certain conditions. Experts believe Bangladeshi workers who can establish that they were victims of recruitment fraud should be considered under such mechanisms through coordinated efforts by the Bangladesh High Commission and relevant authorities.

They stressed that workers who fall victim to recruitment fraud should be treated as victims rather than offenders and provided with legal and humanitarian assistance.

They also urged Bangladesh to strengthen pre-departure verification of employers, jobs, visas and employment contracts to prevent similar cases in the future.

The affected workers have questioned why they should bear the consequences of irregularities committed by employers or recruitment agencies after spending hundreds of thousands of taka to migrate legally for work.

They have urged the Bangladesh government and its mission in Malaysia to ensure prompt investigations, legal assistance and, where possible, opportunities for them to work legally in Malaysia.