Migrant Worker Rights in Bangladesh 2026: Recruitment, Contracts, Complaints and Compensation

Migrant worker rights Bangladesh law guarantees: the 2026 position

Migrant worker rights Bangladesh law protects are set out mainly in the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, a statute that governs every stage of labour migration: recruitment, licensing of agencies, registration and emigration clearance, the cost a worker may be charged, the employment contract, the worker's rights while abroad and on return, and the offences that punish fraud and illegal recruitment.[1] The Act was tightened in 2023, amended again by ordinance under the interim government, and in April 2026 the elected Parliament passed bills to retain those changes and to replace the human trafficking law.[2] [3]

This guide brings three questions into one place. What does the law require before a worker leaves? What must the overseas employment contract contain? And when things go wrong (no job on arrival, no work permit, unpaid wages, contract substitution or outright fraud), how does a worker or family complain, recover money and hold a recruiting agency to account? It also covers the Wage Earners' Welfare Board, death compensation, Probashi Kallyan Bank loans, the 2.5 per cent remittance incentive, returnee reintegration and the 2025 to 2026 Malaysia syndicate prosecutions and market reopening.

Summary: A Bangladeshi worker may go abroad for employment through a licensed recruiting agency or the state-run BOESL, after BMET registration and emigration clearance. The agency may not charge more than the government-fixed migration cost, must provide a written employment contract, and is liable administratively, civilly and criminally for fraud. Complaints go to BMET, which settles them through arbitration; serious cases belong in the criminal courts and, where workers were deceived or exploited, under the 2026 anti-trafficking law.

Key point: Since the 2023 amendment, the government can fine a recruiting agency between Tk 50,000 and Tk 2 lakh after inquiry and hearing, and can suspend its licence on a complaint even before an inquiry is complete. Offences of illegal recruitment and fraudulent visa dealing under sections 31, 33 and 34 are cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.[2]

At a glance

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Table of Contents

The legal framework for migrant worker rights Bangladesh guarantees

The Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 (Act No. 48 of 2013), dated 27 October 2013, is the code for labour migration from Bangladesh.[1] It is organised in nine chapters: the authority to send workers abroad; recruiting agents and licences; registration, emigration clearance and migration cost; the employment contract; labour welfare wings and bilateral agreements; the rights and, since 2023, the duties of migrant workers; offences, penalties and trial; and miscellaneous powers including search and recovery of illegally collected money.[1]

The ministry responsible is the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. Day-to-day regulation sits with the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), which registers workers, issues emigration clearance, supervises agencies and handles complaints.[4] [5]

The rights the Act gives workers

Chapter VII lists the core rights. Section 26 gives a right to information, section 27 a right to legal assistance, section 28 a right to file a civil suit, section 29 a right to return home and section 30 a basis for financial and other welfare programmes.[1] In practice this means a worker is entitled to understand the migration process, the job and the contract before departure; a fraud victim is entitled to legal aid; and a worker who is detained, stranded or in distress abroad is entitled to help from the Bangladesh mission to come home.[6]

The 2023 amendment

The Overseas Employment and Migrants (Amendment) Act 2023 (Act No. 41 of 2023) took effect immediately on publication in September 2023.[2] It made five changes of lasting importance:

• Sub-agents: a new section 14A lets an agency appoint a registered sub-agent or representative, and a new definition in section 2(18) brings these intermediaries, long known as dalals, inside the law.[2]
• Administrative fines: section 12(1A) lets the government fine an agency between Tk 50,000 and Tk 2 lakh after inquiry and hearing, and section 12(1B) allows suspension of licence activity on a complaint before or during an inquiry.[2]
• Welfare and women: a new section 30 authorises bank loans, tax rebates, savings and investment schemes, skills certification and reintegration programmes, and special programmes protecting women migrant workers at every stage.[2]
• Worker duties: section 30A requires workers to take training, behave lawfully abroad and provide the information needed for migration documents.[2]
• Tougher penalties: section 33 now carries two to seven years' rigorous imprisonment, a new section 33A punishes recruiting after licence cancellation or suspension, and section 35 penalises unregistered sub-agents.[2]

The amendment also widened section 28, so that a civil suit may be brought not only by the migrant worker but by "any other person" affected, which matters for families who paid the agency on the worker's behalf.[2]

The 2024 ordinance and the 2026 Act

The interim government amended the Act again by ordinance in November 2024. On 9 April 2026 the elected Parliament passed the Overseas Employment and Migrants (Amendment) Bill 2026 as one of a group of bills dealing with interim-era ordinances.[3] Anyone relying on a specific provision should therefore read the consolidated text as it stands after the 2026 Act, not an older copy of the 2013 statute.

Recruiting agencies: licensing, sub-agents and BAIRA

Only a licensed recruiting agent may recruit workers for overseas employment. Chapter III of the Act deals with the licence, eligibility, validity and renewal, suspension and cancellation, revocation, branch offices, sub-agents, the agent's responsibilities and classification of agencies.[1] An agency that recruits through an unregistered intermediary, opens an unauthorised branch, or continues to recruit after its licence is cancelled commits an offence.[2]

What a licence means for the worker

A licence is the worker's first protection. It identifies who is answerable for the recruitment, ties the agency to BMET supervision and exposes it to fines, suspension and revocation. Workers should avoid any agency or individual that is not licensed or registered with BMET, and should insist on knowing the licence number of the agency that will process their clearance.[6] In Malaysia's October 2026 recruitment round, for example, each recruiting agency must obtain BMET clearance for its own workers under its own licence.[10]

Sub-agents and the dalal problem

Most workers first meet a village-level broker rather than the agency itself. Before 2023 these intermediaries operated outside the statute, which made it hard to attach liability to anyone other than the agency. The new section 14A and the penalty in section 35(2) change that: acting as a sub-agent without registration, or holding oneself out as one, is now punishable with up to one year's imprisonment, a fine of Tk 50,000 to Tk 2 lakh, or both.[2] A worker who paid a broker should record the broker's name, the agency the broker claimed to represent and every payment.

BAIRA and BOESL

Licensed agencies are organised in the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), which runs its own arbitration cell for complaints against members.[4] The state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) also recruits and, in the 2026 Malaysia arrangement, sits at the top of the approved list.[10] BAIRA's arbitration is voluntary and industry-run; it does not displace BMET's jurisdiction or the courts.

Suspension, fines and revocation

The government's power to act against agencies is real and increasingly used. On 20 July 2026 the ministry revoked the licences of 49 recruiting agencies under section 13 of the Act, citing the public interest, after a charge sheet in the Malaysia syndicate case was accepted by the court.[9] An agency's licence can also be suspended if its negligence leaves a BMET complaint unresolved for six months.[4]

BMET registration, emigration clearance and the smart card

Registration and clearance are where migrant worker rights Bangladesh law creates are first tested in practice. Section 19 requires registration of migrant workers, and section 20 requires emigration clearance before departure.[1] Clearance is evidenced by the BMET smart card, which the worker must carry when leaving the country.[5]

Registration online

Since mid-2020 the government's Ami Probashi platform has allowed BMET registration online in a couple of hours rather than the four or five days it used to take, and more than 25 lakh registrations were completed in about two years.[5] A registered worker is visible in the BMET database, which is what ties later complaints, welfare claims and death compensation to a documented migration.

The clearance card

Workers used to depend on agencies to obtain clearance cards, and agencies were reported to charge Tk 40,000 to Tk 50,000 for the service. The QR code for a clearance card can now be obtained through the platform free of charge.[5] A worker who travels without clearance, or on a card issued for a different job or employer, loses much of the paper trail that later complaints and welfare claims depend on.

Pre-departure orientation and training

Pre-departure orientation, which once took about a month, now takes three days.[5] Women going abroad as domestic workers must also complete 21 days of housekeeping training.[6] Since 2023, section 30A has made training for overseas employment a statutory duty of the worker.[2]

Exit only through designated places

Departures must be through ports or places specified by the government in the gazette, and arranging departure through any other place is a separate offence under section 34.[1] [6]

Migration cost caps and what workers actually pay

Section 21 of the Act deals with migration cost, and the government fixes the maximum amount a worker may be charged for each destination.[1] Excess cost is the single largest source of loss for Bangladeshi workers, and the gap between the official ceiling and the real price is the reason so many complaints end in disputes over refunds.

The published ceilings

The government's 2016 schedule fixed, among others, Tk 165,000 for Saudi Arabia, Tk 107,780 for the UAE, Tk 100,780 for Qatar and Oman, Tk 106,780 for Kuwait and Tk 262,270 for Singapore including training.[7] For Malaysia the government-fixed cost is Tk 78,990 per worker, the figure the Anti-Corruption Commission relied on in its 2025 cases.[8] Before paying, a worker should ask BMET or the agency for the current ceiling for the specific destination and job, because ceilings are revised by notification.

The real cost

Survey evidence shows how far practice departs from the law. A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey with the ILO put the average cost for all migrants at Tk 416,789, and Saudi Arabia at Tk 436,366; investigations found male workers paying Tk 3.5 lakh to Tk 5 lakh for Malaysia.[7] Every taka above the ceiling is potentially recoverable, and charging it is the conduct the Act criminalises.

Proving what was paid

The practical obstacle is evidence. BMET officials report that many victims have no written agreement, no receipts for payments to agents or brokers and no appointment letter, so claims rest on testimony, passports and clearance cards.[4] Pay by bank transfer or mobile financial service where possible, keep every receipt, and never accept an agency's request to sign a statement that only the official cost was paid.

Overseas employment contract requirements

Chapter V of the Act, section 22, deals with the employment contract.[1] A worker's contract is the document that turns a promise into an enforceable right, and its absence is one of the most common reasons complaints fail.

What the contract must cover

The recruiting agent should give the worker a written contract that states the wage, accommodation, duration of employment, compensation for death or injury, the cost of emigration and return, and the other information the law requires.[6] The worker should receive the contract in a language they understand before clearance and should keep a copy at home with the family as well as abroad.

Contract substitution and missing work permits

The most frequent breaches are not exotic. BMET reports that 80 to 90 per cent of complaints concern a missing iqama or work permit, no job on arrival, or delayed salary, and that in Saudi Arabia the employer must secure the iqama within three months of the visa.[4] A different job, a lower wage or a different employer on arrival is contract substitution, and it is a breach that supports both a complaint and a civil claim.

Checklist before signing

• Confirm the agency's licence and the name of any sub-agent involved.
• Check that the employer, job title, monthly wage, hours, accommodation and contract length match the visa and demand documents.
• Confirm who pays the return airfare and what happens on early termination, injury or death.
• Compare the amount demanded with the government ceiling for that destination.
• Keep a copy of the contract, receipts, passport pages and the BMET clearance card with a family member in Bangladesh.

Domestic employment contracts are covered in our guide to employment contracts in Bangladesh; the points above apply specifically to work abroad.

Overseas employment complaints: BMET, arbitration and the courts

Section 41 of the Act gives an aggrieved person the right to lodge a complaint with the government.[1] In practice the complaint goes to BMET, which accepts complaints online and in person and sits at the centre of migrant worker rights Bangladesh enforcement.[4] [6]

How BMET arbitration works

BMET handles complaints through a formal arbitration process in which the worker and the agency are called, the claim is examined and an amount of compensation is agreed or directed. Each complaint takes at least four months to dispose of.[4] This is an administrative settlement process under the migration regime; it should not be confused with arbitration under the Arbitration Act 2001, and it does not prevent a civil suit or a criminal case.

What the numbers show

BMET received 2,380 complaints in 2023, nearly double the 1,240 of 2022, and 31 per cent came from women. It resolved 865 complaints in 2023 with Tk 4.87 crore awarded, but awards are often less than half of what victims lost, and officials say influential agencies are hard to recover from.[4] The lesson is to use BMET for speed and leverage, while preserving the right to sue or prosecute if the offer is inadequate.

Other complaint channels

BAIRA runs its own arbitration cell, the Wage Earners' Welfare Board operates the Probash Bondhu call centre for counselling and complaint intake, and NGOs handle grassroots mediation and forward complaints against recruiters to BMET.[4] Workers still abroad should also report to the labour welfare wing of the Bangladesh mission, which sections 23 and 24 of the Act establish for exactly this purpose.[1]

How to file an overseas employment complaint

The sequence below reflects how we prepare a complaint, including a claim for any excess migration cost, so that it can be pursued at BMET and, if needed, in court.

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Recovering unpaid wages from abroad

Wage theft abroad is the hardest problem migrant worker rights Bangladesh law has to solve, because the employer is outside Bangladesh's jurisdiction. A Bangladeshi court cannot readily compel a Saudi, Malaysian or Gulf employer to pay; the claim against the employer must generally be pursued in the destination country, while the claim against the recruiting agency can be pursued at home.

Claims against the employer in the destination country

The worker's first step is the labour welfare wing of the Bangladesh mission, which can contact the employer, assist with a claim before the destination's labour authorities and help with return if the job has collapsed.[1] [6] Act quickly. Most destination labour systems have short time limits and require the worker's presence, and a worker who leaves without lodging a claim often cannot revive it from Bangladesh.

Claims against the agency at home

At home, migrant worker rights Bangladesh law confers bite hardest against the recruiter. Where the agency placed the worker with an employer that did not pay, did not issue a work permit or offered a different job, the agency's failure supports a BMET complaint and a civil claim for the loss.[4] [6] Unpaid wages for months already worked are usually claimed against the employer; the migration cost, lost earnings and return costs caused by a fraudulent or negligent placement are claimed against the agency.

Evidence that wins wage claims

Keep pay slips, bank or remittance records, the contract, the work permit, photographs of the workplace and the employer's identity details, messages from supervisors and a record of hours worked. Remittance receipts double as proof of wages actually paid; their absence can corroborate non-payment. Our guide to workers' rights in Bangladesh covers wage claims against employers based in Bangladesh.

Civil and criminal remedies against recruiting agents

The enforcement of migrant worker rights Bangladesh offers against agencies runs on three parallel tracks. An agency that defrauds a worker faces administrative action through BMET and the ministry, a civil suit for compensation, and criminal prosecution.

The civil suit under section 28

A worker affected by a breach of the Act or of the employment contract may file a civil suit for compensation, separately from any criminal case, and since 2023 another affected person may do so too.[2] [6] A civil suit is slower than BMET arbitration, but it is not capped by what the agency is willing to pay. For procedure, see our guides to civil suit filing in Bangladesh and to serving a legal notice first.

Offences under the 2013 Act

Chapter VIII criminalises illegally sending workers abroad or taking money for doing so (section 31), unauthorised advertisement (section 32), obtaining or trading demand letters, visas or work permits by illegal means (section 33) and departure through an undesignated place (section 34).[1] Section 33 now carries two to seven years' rigorous imprisonment.[2] Offences under sections 31, 33 and 34 are cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, so the police can arrest without warrant and the case cannot simply be settled away; offences under sections 32, 33A and 35 are bailable, compoundable and triable by mobile court.[2] Section 43 also provides for recovery of illegally collected money.[1]

Penal Code and money laundering charges

Recruitment fraud is often charged alongside Penal Code offences. In the Malaysia syndicate case the court accepted a charge sheet under sections 406, 420, 385, 386, 427 and 34 of the Penal Code, and the Anti-Corruption Commission has used sections 409 and 420 with sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.[8] [9] Our analysis of white collar crime in Bangladesh explains these offences, and how to file a criminal case sets out the procedure.

The 2026 human trafficking and migrant smuggling law

Where a worker was deceived into exploitative work, the anti-trafficking law applies. The Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012 was the basis for many complex cases brought by NGO-assisted migrants against agents and brokers.[4] In late 2025 the interim government replaced it with an ordinance covering both trafficking and migrant smuggling, and on 9 April 2026 Parliament passed the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Bill 2026.[3] [11]

The new framework criminalises fraudulent online recruitment or migration advertisements, penalises witness intimidation and obstruction with up to seven years' imprisonment, aims to prevent forced settlements, allows freezing and seizure of assets including overseas assets through mutual legal assistance, and protects victims from prosecution for acts such as illegal entry or possessing false documents that result from being trafficked or smuggled.[11] For workers, that last point matters: a migrant who was smuggled is treated as a victim, not as an offender.

The table below compares the main remedies. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Welfare, death compensation and finance

Migrant worker rights Bangladesh provides are not only remedies for wrongdoing. A set of welfare institutions supports workers and families, financed largely by the workers themselves.

The Wage Earners' Welfare Board and death compensation

The Wage Earners' Welfare Fund provides Tk 3 lakh in financial support when a documented migrant worker dies abroad.[6] The word "documented" is the reason registration and clearance matter so much: families of workers who left irregularly often struggle to prove entitlement. Families should also ask the mission's labour wing to pursue any employer-side compensation, unpaid wages and end-of-service dues owed under the destination's law, which are separate from the Board's grant.

Probashi Kallyan Bank loans

Probashi Kallyan Bank was established in 2010 to serve migrant workers, and its loans run for one to five years depending on the income sector.[6] Its collateral-free migration loan is currently capped at Tk 3 lakh at 8 per cent simple interest with one guarantor, and in June 2026 the government said it was considering raising the ceiling to Tk 5 lakh.[12] A cheap, documented loan from the bank is far safer than borrowing from moneylenders or mortgaging land to pay an agency in cash.

The 2.5 per cent remittance incentive

The government pays a 2.5 per cent cash incentive on remittances sent through legal channels, and the FY2026-27 budget presented on 11 June 2026 continued it. March 2026 saw a record US$3.75 billion in remittances through official channels.[13] Remittances sent through hundi do not earn the incentive and leave no record for welfare or legal claims. The wider rules on inward remittances and foreign currency accounts are covered in our guide to foreign exchange regulations in Bangladesh.

Probash pension

Workers abroad can also save for old age through the Probash scheme under the universal pension system. Contribution levels and the 2025 to 2026 changes are explained in our guide to social security law in Bangladesh.

Return and reintegration

Section 29 of the Act gives every migrant worker the right to return home, and the 2023 amendment expressly added reintegration programmes to the welfare measures the government may provide.[1] [2] Return is often unplanned: a job collapses, a permit is not issued or a worker is detained.

Financing for returnees

In July 2026 the SME Foundation and Karmasangsthan Bank, with ILO and Swiss support, launched a Tk 5 crore financing line for returnee entrepreneurs: up to Tk 25 lakh per borrower, up to Tk 10 lakh without collateral, at 7 per cent interest, with up to four years to repay and a grace period of up to six months.[14] Priority goes to returnees who have completed reintegration, training or business development programmes.[14]

Protecting legal claims on return

Return does not end migrant worker rights Bangladesh law protects. A returnee should file any BMET complaint promptly after return, before witnesses disperse and the agency's records change. Bring the passport, clearance card, contract, receipts and any documents from the mission. If the mission helped with repatriation, ask for a written record of the circumstances; it is often the best independent evidence of what went wrong.

Malaysia and other 2025 to 2026 developments

No market illustrates the gap between migrant worker rights Bangladesh law promises and practice better than Malaysia.

The syndicate prosecutions

On 14 September 2025 the Anti-Corruption Commission filed 13 cases against 31 people from 13 recruiting agencies, alleging Tk 1,159 crore was collected above the government-fixed Tk 78,990 per worker, in some cases up to five times the official cost. With 12 earlier cases filed in March 2025, the total reached 25 cases against 64 people involving Tk 2,288.43 crore.[8] A separate human trafficking case filed at Paltan police station on 3 September 2024 against 103 people led to a charge sheet against 49 agencies, including agencies linked to a former finance minister's family and former MPs.[9]

Licence revocations

On 20 July 2026 the government revoked the licences of those 49 agencies under section 13 of the Act. Industry critics questioned why only 49 of about 100 agencies involved were targeted, and whether licences should be revoked before a final verdict.[9] The episode shows that revocation is an administrative public-interest power that does not wait for conviction.

The October 2026 reopening

On 15 October 2026 the ministry announced Malaysia's agreement in principle to recruit 10,000 Bangladeshi workers at zero cost after a prolonged closure. The approved list comprises BOESL, 25 processing agencies and 312 recruiting agencies; recruiting agencies select workers and obtain BMET clearance for them, and the list of medical centres is being finalised so that no single centre controls health checks.[10] Workers should apply only through approved agencies and should treat any demand for payment on a zero-cost scheme as a red flag to report to BMET.

Practical guidance: protecting migrant worker rights Bangladesh law provides

For workers and families

• Use the official channels: register through Ami Probashi, deal only with a licensed agency and obtain a BMET clearance card for the actual job.[5]
• Keep the paper trail: receipts, contract, passport copies, clearance card and remittance records are the evidence every remedy depends on.[4]
• Do not overpay in cash: compare every demand with the government-fixed migration cost, and borrow from Probashi Kallyan Bank rather than moneylenders.[12]
• Complain early: report to the mission's labour wing while abroad and to BMET on return, and do not accept a token settlement without advice.

Mistakes to avoid

• Travelling on a so-called free visa with no employer able to issue a work permit.[4]
• Signing a statement that only the official cost was paid.
• Treating BMET arbitration as the only remedy, when a civil suit or criminal case may recover more.
• Sending money through hundi and losing both the 2.5 per cent incentive and the evidence of earnings.[13]

For recruiting agencies and foreign employers

Agencies face real enforcement risk in 2026: administrative fines, suspension on complaint, revocation, ACC money laundering cases and trafficking prosecutions.[2] [8] [9] Compliance means registered sub-agents, documented charges within the ceiling, contracts that match the visa, and a functioning internal complaint process. Our employment litigation and workforce disputes practice and employment law compliance practice act for workers, families and businesses on these issues.

If you are dealing with a recruitment fraud, an unpaid wage claim or a death abroad, the first weeks decide what can be recovered. Contact TRW to discuss your matter.

Frequently asked questions

What law protects Bangladeshi migrant workers?

Migrant worker rights Bangladesh recognises rest on the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, amended in 2023 and again by ordinance in 2024, with a further amending bill passed in April 2026. It governs recruitment, clearance, migration cost, contracts, workers' rights and offences.[1] [2] [3]

How do I file an overseas employment complaint in Bangladesh?

Lodge it with BMET online or in person, with your passport, clearance card, contract and payment evidence. BMET usually settles complaints through arbitration with the agency, which takes at least four months.[4]

Can I sue a recruiting agency in Bangladesh?

Yes. Section 28 allows a civil suit for compensation for breach of the Act or the employment contract, separately from any criminal case, and since 2023 another affected person, such as a family member who paid, may also sue.[2] [6]

What is the government-fixed migration cost for Malaysia?

Tk 78,990 per worker. Charging more is the conduct at the heart of the 2025 Anti-Corruption Commission cases against recruiting agencies.[8]

What must an overseas employment contract include?

The wage, accommodation, duration, compensation for death or injury, the cost of emigration and return, and other required information. Section 22 of the Act governs the contract.[1] [6]

How much compensation is paid if a migrant worker dies abroad?

The Wage Earners' Welfare Fund pays Tk 3 lakh in financial support on the death of a documented migrant worker. Employer-side compensation and unpaid dues abroad are separate claims.[6]

Is recruitment fraud a criminal offence?

Yes. Illegally sending workers abroad or taking money for it, trading visas and work permits, and using undesignated exit points are offences; those under sections 31, 33 and 34 are cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.[1] [2]

What changed in Bangladesh's human trafficking law in 2026?

The 2012 Act was replaced by an ordinance covering trafficking and migrant smuggling, and Parliament passed the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Bill 2026 on 9 April 2026.[3] [11]

How much can I borrow from Probashi Kallyan Bank to migrate?

Up to Tk 3 lakh without collateral at 8 per cent simple interest with one guarantor; the government is considering raising the limit to Tk 5 lakh.[12]

Is the 2.5 per cent remittance incentive still paid in 2026?

Yes. The FY2026-27 budget continued the 2.5 per cent cash incentive for remittances sent through legal channels.[13]