Romania to set up temporary consular services in Dhaka

Highlights:

• Romania to recruit around 40,000 foreign workers
• 5000 visas for Bangladeshis to be issued starting March
• Bangladesh has already sent around 1,000 workers
• Workers to get $615 to $1400 monthly in wages
• Romania needs construction workers, electricians, household helpers, workers in manufacturing units, apart from doctors and nurses

Job opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Europe are expanding further with Romania, a country in Southeastern Europe, setting up temporary consular services in Dhaka.

The Foreign Ministry of Romania is sending a six-member consular team to Dhaka for three months from March 2022 to issue about 5000 visas, including 3400 pending visas, said Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen on Monday.

Muhammad Mohsin Reza, senior information officer of the foreign ministry, told The Business Standard (TBS) that all 5000 visa holders will go in the "employment" category.

Following bilateral consultation in October 2021 between the ministers for foreign affairs of the two countries, Romania approved opening a temporary consular office in Dhaka and decided on sending a three-month delegation.

Romania has decided to recruit around 40,000 foreign workers in total, paving the way for Bangladesh to send more workers, according to the foreign ministry. The monthly wages for workers who will go to Romania would start from $615 to $1400, considering their skills and qualifications.

Meanwhile, Momen said around 1000 workers have been sent to Romania already, adding that Romania is in particular need of construction workers, electricians, household helpers, workers in manufacturing units, besides doctors and nurses.

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, former general secretary of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) told TBS that Romania has had need for skilled workers for quite a few years now, but as there was no consular service of Romania in Dhaka, potential workers had to go through a lot of hassle for visas as they needed to go to New Delhi in India.

"We asked the foreign ministry of Bangladesh to discuss the matter with the Romanian government and we are happy to see the progress," he added.

"Reduced illegal migration"

Some 161 Bangladeshis lived in Romania till 2020, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, the organisation said that many Bangladeshis frequently use illegal routes to reach various European countries and at least 21 Bangladeshis reached Romania on illegal routes in 2020.

"Some 860 Bangladeshis recently entered Germany from Romania illegally," the foreign minister said, adding that these people have already been sent back to Bangladesh through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to experts in the field of international immigration, migration through legal routes would not only reduce illegal migration attempts but also reduce the cost of migration.

The migration cost of Romania-bound workers under government arrangement was fixed at Tk165,000 each by the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry in 2020. However, the real cost of migration under private recruiters is not less than Tk10-Tk12 lakh.

Earlier in 1975, Bangladesh opened its first mission in Romania but it was shut down in 1995, while Romania closed its Mission in Bangladesh in 2000. However, Bangladesh has reopened its embassy recently. Greece, on the other hand, is the first EU country to have signed an MoU with Bangladesh to recruit workers from here.