On Wednesday, the Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. AK Abdul Momen, declared that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had extended the validity of visas and work permits for workers from Bangladesh until October 30th 2020.
This decision was in response to the Bangladeshi authorities’ efforts to stabilize the issue affecting many Bangladeshi citizens.
Thousands of migrant workers who returned home from Saudi Arabia during the coronavirus pandemic were stuck here and could not return to their jobs due to a lack of airline tickets from Saudi Airlines.
The returnees from Saudi Arabia organized demonstrations in front of the Saudi Airlines office in Karwan Bazar in order to obtain tickets and visa extensions.
Despite the protests, many employees were still unable to get a return ticket, and on September 30, the visa expired.
Following the mass protests, the Bangladeshi government contacted the Saudi Arabian authorities and demanded that they increase the number of flights from Dhaka as well as extend visas for employees.
Saudi Arabia is a country where Bangladeshi workers willingly go to work. Nearly a quarter of all Bangladeshi emigrants are employed in this area.
Aleksandra Zakrzewska
Source: banglanews24.com.