Foreign adviser flags visa challenges, says Bangladeshis partly responsible

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain has expressed concern over the increasing difficulty for Bangladeshis to obtain visas and the rising rate of visa rejections.

Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (8 October), Touhid said he shares the concern and acknowledged that Bangladeshis themselves bear some responsibility. 

"While countries restricting visas share some blame, we are even more responsible. Many people submit fraudulent documents, and irregular migration from our country is relatively high," he said.

Touhid highlighted the situation for Bangladeshi students seeking education in Germany. "Germany has a high-quality education system that is completely free. As a result, Bangladeshi students are very eager to study there, resulting in 80,000 applications," he said. 

"The German ambassador left recently and said, 'I can only handle 2,000 cases per year.' They cannot accept so many applications. Pakistan sends 9,000 students each year. We have asked Germany to allow the same number of Bangladeshi students, and we are trying to make this possible," he added.

The adviser also noted that obtaining visas has become harder, particularly from countries without embassies in Bangladesh. 

"Many countries now offer online visas for tourists. But for study or work, you often have to apply in person. This creates problems, especially since many countries have their embassies in Delhi. Now, getting an Indian visa has also become difficult, causing hardships for many people," he said.

Touhid mentioned that Bangladesh is exploring alternatives to ease the process. "For example, for Serbia, we were once allowed to get visas through Vietnam. In this way, we are trying to make it possible for Bangladeshis to get visas even when the embassy is in Delhi," he said. 

He added that visa decisions are ultimately up to the foreign countries involved, and even the government cannot intervene in individual cases. "This is also about our reputation. That is why visas have become harder to get, even for genuine applicants. We first need to fix our own issues; once we do, this problem will be resolved," he said.

The adviser also addressed reports of Bangladeshis dying while reportedly fighting for the Pakistani separatist group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. 

He said, "It is not accurate to generalise and say 'Bangladeshis.' These are isolated incidents that may happen in one or two places. Even in the Ukraine war, a few Bangladeshis died. Bangladesh is not involved in these wars, and these incidents should be seen in that context. 

"We do not want anyone from our country to take part in such activities anywhere—whether for Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, or any other reason. No country can control everything. If one or two individuals commit such acts, it is unfortunate. But these incidents have no support from the government or the country."