Croatia to stop issuing work permits to Bangladeshi workers, embassy says
Unauthorised migration has reportedly drawn criticism from the European Union, which has urged Croatia to curb such practices.
The Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Croatian government is set to stop issuing work permits to Bangladeshi workers due to alleged violations of agreement terms by recruitment agencies.
The information was disclosed in a letter dated 23 January, a copy of which was obtained by The Business Standard.
The embassy stated that Croatia's Ministry of Interior has cited irregularities involving Bangladeshi workers, including their movement to other Schengen countries despite holding Croatian permits.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"In 2024, the Croatian authority issued 12,400 work permits and visas to Bangladeshi workers. Among them, 8,000 never arrived in Croatia. Among the rest 4,400, only 50% are working in Croatia at the moment," the letter said.
This unauthorised migration has reportedly drawn criticism from the European Union, which has urged Croatia to curb such practices.
The embassy warned that the issue could soon appear in Croatian media, potentially damaging Bangladesh's reputation as a source of overseas employment.
Currently, around 6,000-7,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in Croatia, primarily in construction, restaurants, and food delivery sectors.
The embassy noted that working conditions and benefits in Croatia are better than in many other EU countries.
However, many Bangladeshi workers reportedly use Croatian permits to move illegally to other Schengen nations.
The letter suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, draft a workforce cooperation agreement with Croatia.
"This will enable us to show that Bangladesh is taking steps to prevent such irregularities. Otherwise, this potential labour market might be closed for Bangladesh for a long time," the embassy cautioned.
MoFA spokesperson Rafiqul Alam told TBS, "The Ministry has learned of this and has taken steps to address the issue."
Efforts to address these issues are considered crucial to maintaining access to the Croatian labour market and preserving Bangladesh's reputation in the global employment sector.
