Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, on Wednesday said expatriate workers struggling with the delay in receiving their Machine-Readable Passports (MRP) would start getting their passports from December 15.
"The issuance of machine-readable passports (MRPs) for expatriates will begin on Sunday. We held a meeting yesterday where officials from the Foreign and Home Ministries, along with representatives from the Immigration Department, were present. In that meeting, we decided that expatriate migrant workers will start receiving their MRP passports from December 15," in a video message posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the Adviser said the government understands the severe difficulties they are facing regarding passports.
"Starting December 15, you will begin receiving MRPs. Those who have applied can expect their passports within three to four weeks," he added.
Dr Asif Nazrul said, "The initial focus will be on [expats in] Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, followed by other high-demand countries. This issue will be resolved for everyone within three to four weeks."
He went on to say that a substantial number of MRPs are being printed to ensure that such problems do not recur for the next two to three years.
Expressing regret for the hardships endured by expatriates, the Adviser blamed the previous government for delays.
"This issue arose during the tenure of the previous fascist regime. The erstwhile minister attempted to irregularly award the passport printing contract to a familiar company, leading to a delay of 18 months in the registration and tendering process. I apologize for the inconvenience you faced, but from December 15, you will start receiving your passports," he said.
