Why Malaysia-bound workers are paying twice
Workers are now required to pay a minimum cost of Tk1,62,500, which BOESL says covers employer-side expenses, airfare, medical tests, training, and interview-related charges
Many of the roughly 18,000 Bangladeshis who missed their chance to migrate to Malaysia earlier this year have been forced to pay a second time, despite already losing Tk4–6 lakh to brokers during the failed "syndicate" recruitment.
According to Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), the government initially tried to send these left-behind workers under an employer-pay model, meaning the workers would not bear any costs.
However, Malaysian employers did not respond for months, and with a December deadline to send all shortlisted candidates, BOESL decided it could not wait any longer.
As a result, workers are now required to pay a minimum cost of Tk1,62,500, which BOESL says covers employer-side expenses, airfare, medical tests, training, and interview-related charges.
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BOESL maintains that it is not taking any service fee and is covering some additional expenses itself.
The latest cost (Tk1,62,500) breakdown includes: Tk75,000 for the Malaysian agent fee, Tk45,000 for airfare, Tk22,500 for training, Tk10,000 for medical tests, and Tk10,000 for interview-related expenses.
