A delegation from the Bangladesh CIP Business Association, Dubai, held a courtesy meeting with expatriates' welfare minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury at the ministry on Monday.

Chowdhury said the ministry has noted reports of a significant number of Bangladeshi expatriates having their visas cancelled in the United Arab Emirates and that the Bangladesh embassy there has already issued a public notice to collect information from affected expatriates as part of building a consolidated database.

The specific reasons behind the visa cancellations are not yet known, the minister said, adding that efforts are under way to determine the cause and that necessary steps would be taken, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

Welcoming the Bangladeshi Commercially Important Persons (CIPs), entrepreneurs, and expatriate businessmen based in the UAE, the minister said they play a significant role in the country's economic growth, strengthening foreign currency reserves, generating employment, and maintaining a steady flow of remittances.

He said the government was fully aware of the restrictions and stagnation affecting family, student, tourist, and employment visas, as well as visa transfers between companies, since July 2024.

The ministry, he said, was working continuously to resolve the visa crisis quickly through joint diplomacy and intervention at the highest levels of government, and he called on the CIP businessmen to use their ties with the Dubai government and local authorities to help ease the visa complications.

On remittances, the minister said CIP businessmen should encourage their workers to avoid hundi and use legal banking channels to send money home. He said a universal, transparent "Probashi Card" would be introduced soon, which would ensure affordable, priority-based treatment for expatriates at public and private hospitals in Bangladesh as well as facilitate remittances through legal banking channels.

He also said discussions were ongoing with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and airlines to break ticket syndicates affecting expatriate travel and ensure reasonable airfares.

To boost expatriate investment, the minister pledged special quotas and tax exemptions for Bangladeshi expatriate investors in allocating land, plots, or infrastructure in special economic zones and hi-tech parks.

He said a one-stop service would ensure fast, digital processing to remove filing and administrative complications at BIDA, customs, the National Board of Revenue, and other government offices.

Highlighting the importance of strictly complying with local laws and customs in the UAE, the minister urged CIPs to help raise awareness among ordinary expatriates.

He stressed avoiding the capture and sharing of photos or videos on social media in sensitive situations and cautioned against misuse of AI to spread negative propaganda, as well as urged joint awareness campaigns with consulates and missions against involvement in any illegal or criminal activity.

In contrast, the representatives of Bangladesh CIP Business Association made a number of demands and proposals including taking the strongest possible steps to resume visas, enhancing the skills of outbound workers, ensuring the Probashi Card is rolled out, government-funded repatriation of the bodies of deceased expatriates, affordable treatment for expatriates at hospitals in Bangladesh, ensuring education for expatriates’ children, affordable air tickets, setting up dry food processing plants and allowing the repatriation of investment profits abroad.

Ministry Secretary Md. Mokhtar Ahmed, Director General of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Jamil Ahmed, and other senior ministry officials were present at the meeting.