Expatriates face MRP trouble

They paid fees and service charges to IRIS Corporation for their passports in Saudi Arabia three to four months ago but the Malaysian outsourcing company did not bother to give passports to at least 50,000 Bangladeshi expatriates.

Over 11 lakh Bangladeshi expatriates were yet to get machine readable passports (MRPs), Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told parliament on Thursday.

According to International Civil Aviation Organization's deadline, nobody would be able to travel abroad with old passports after tomorrow, unless the UN agency, which develops and suggests airline safety standards and practices, extends the time.

At least 2,500 expatriates in Malaysia were uncertain of their future as IRIS did not provide them with MRPs even after they had paid all the fees six/seven months ago, before the company closed its activities there.

The company has collected at least Tk 50 crore as passport fees and service charges from the expatriates in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The expatriates were rushing to the Bangladesh missions in Saudi Arabia and also at the DIP office in Dhaka as they were worried about getting deported or losing their jobs after the ICAO deadline expires tomorrow.

But their frantic moves to obtain MRPs resulted only in losing money, waste of time, and sufferings at the offices,  according to the expatriates and government officials.

Many expatriates shared their sufferings with The Daily Star at the city's Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) office two weeks ago. They expressed their worry about losing their jobs if they did not get the MRPs before the deadline.

“If we do not get the passports in time we may lose jobs or face deportation,” said Shohidul Islam, an expatriate who came to Dhaka to collect his MRP.

He submitted his MRP application in Jeddah in July. “Now I am scared whether I will be able to renew my work permit.”

As he had decided to visit home, the mission official concerned in Jeddah advised him to contact the DIP in Dhaka, which he did but it yielded no result.

Like Shohidul, many others were seen rushing from room to room of officials in the DIP office but could not solve their problem.

Officials at Bangladesh missions, however, said the home ministry and the DIP were to blame for the sufferings of the expatriates as those offices had not taken any move to solve the problem even though they had been informed at least two months ago.

They fear the enrolled expatriates would face serious trouble in getting the MRPs as IRIS was neither capable nor sincere.

“As nobody compels them [IRIS] to do their jobs timely, the company does not bother to deliver the passports,” a mission official told The Daily Star seeking anonymity.

The mission officials have expressed their frustration over the selection of such an inexperienced and incompetent company to complete a massive job in Saudi Arabia where more than 15 lakh Bangladeshis work.

According to mission officials, at least three to four lakh expatriates in Saudi Arabia would not get their MRPs before the deadline expires.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Golam Moshi last night (Sunday) said the DIP also could not avoid its share of responsibility for the mess as all the passports were supposed to be printed at their office for delivery to the migrants.

“Had the mission not taken the MRP issue seriously and depended only on the outsourcing company, the situation would have been much worse,” he added.

He urged the DIP authorities to ensure that the passports reach the migrants soon.

The government awarded IRIS contracts to enrol Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Malaysia for the issuance of MRPs last year.

Despite the company's shocking performance, the government did not cancel its contracts as a section of senior officials at the home ministry and the DIP always backed IRIS. 

“It is very clear that the company will not get punished even if it does not provide the passports or pay the money,” said an official of the DIP.

Home ministry, the DIP, and MRP project officials held a meeting with IRIS on November 11 but they did not raise the issues of the passports and the money the company kept in its pocket.

Contacted, DIP Director General NM Zeaul Alam did not explain why IRIS was not providing the passports.