Monitoring MRP enrolment

Team to visit 3 countries

A home ministry delegation, headed by its senior secretary, will be visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia to oversee MRP enrolment in those countries.
It will visit Saudi Arabia from June 13-18 and the other two countries after Eid-ul-Fitr.
IRIS Corporation Berhad, a Malaysian firm, was assigned the task of enrolling and supplying travel documents to Bangladeshis in these countries. But it has fallen behind the target, creating concern for the fate of 36 lakh Bangladeshi expatriates in the three countries.
According to figures available with the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP), 11,61,945 MRPs have been issued for expatriate Bangladeshis in the last 15 months, against the requirement of 25,00,000.
Additional secretary (security and immigration) of the home ministry, Mostafa Kamal Uddin, told The Independent that they will visit Saudi Arabia from June 13 to hasten up MRP enrolment activities. “We will go to the UAE and Malaysia after Eid-ul-Fitr,” he said.

 “At least 27 officials and a good number of staff of various ministries were working in the three countries for MRP enrolment,” he added.
 He said 16 more officials from the ministries concerned were added to the team in a bid to provide MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis by November, set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
  The Director General of the Department of Immigration and Passport, NM Ziaul Alam, said they have been providing MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis within a month of enrolment.
 “We have advised expatriate Bangladeshis to convert their manual passports to MRPs in Bangladesh, when they  travel to this country on leave,”
he said.
 Sources in the home ministry said the progress of MRP enrolment in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the UAE is not satisfactory as IRIS has not been able to carry out the enrolment work properly.
 Sources in DIP said at least 36 lakh expatriates, out of 80 lakh, are passing their days worrying whether they would get their MRPs by November.
 The government recently signed agreements with the Malaysian firm, IRIS Corporation Berhad, to provide MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a local firm, Data-edge-iPeople Consortium, for issuing MRPs to expatriates in Malaysia.
 Sources in the Home Ministry said every expatriates in Malaysia has to pay USD 18 or above, in addition to the passport fees of USD 50, for a normal (30 days) and USD 100, for an emergency (seven-day) MRP.
 Likewise, every expatriate Bangladeshi in Saudi Arabia has to pay USD 9, in addition to the passport fees, and every expatriate in the UAE has to pay USD 13 for the same purpose. Currently, five to seven lakh Bangladeshis live in Malaysia, 10 lakh in the UAE, and 20 lakh in Saudi Arabia.
 Sources in the home ministry said the authorities have already introduced MRPs at 58 missions abroad. The MRPs were introduced in the country on April 1, 2010, to speed up clearance and improve traveller security.

Monitoring MRP enrolment

Team to visit 3 countries

A home ministry delegation, headed by its senior secretary, will be visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia to oversee MRP enrolment in those countries. It will visit Saudi Arabia from June 13-18 and the other two countries after Eid-ul-Fitr. IRIS Corporation Berhad, a Malaysian firm, was assigned the task of enrolling and supplying travel documents to Bangladeshis in these countries. But it has fallen behind the target, creating concern for the fate of 36 lakh Bangladeshi expatriates in the three countries. According to figures available with the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP), 11,61,945 MRPs have been issued for expatriate Bangladeshis in the last 15 months, against the requirement of 25,00,000. Additional secretary (security and immigration) of the home ministry, Mostafa Kamal Uddin, told The Independent that they will visit Saudi Arabia from June 13 to hasten up MRP enrolment activities. We will go to the UAE and Malaysia after Eid-ul-Fitr, he said. At least 27 officials and a good number of staff of various ministries were working in the three countries for MRP enrolment, he added. He said 16 more officials from the ministries concerned were added to the team in a bid to provide MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis by November, set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The Director General of the Department of Immigration and Passport, NM Ziaul Alam, said they have been providing MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis within a month of enrolment. We have advised expatriate Bangladeshis to convert their manual passports to MRPs in Bangladesh, when they travel to this country on leave, he said. Sources in the home ministry said the progress of MRP enrolment in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the UAE is not satisfactory as IRIS has not been able to carry out the enrolment work properly. Sources in DIP said at least 36 lakh expatriates, out of 80 lakh, are passing their days worrying whether they would get their MRPs by November. The government recently signed agreements with the Malaysian firm, IRIS Corporation Berhad, to provide MRPs to expatriate Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a local firm, Data-edge-iPeople Consortium, for issuing MRPs to expatriates in Malaysia. Sources in the Home Ministry said every expatriates in Malaysia has to pay USD 18 or above, in addition to the passport fees of USD 50, for a normal (30 days) and USD 100, for an emergency (seven-day) MRP. Likewise, every expatriate Bangladeshi in Saudi Arabia has to pay USD 9, in addition to the passport fees, and every expatriate in the UAE has to pay USD 13 for the same purpose. Currently, five to seven lakh Bangladeshis live in Malaysia, 10 lakh in the UAE, and 20 lakh in Saudi Arabia. Sources in the home ministry said the authorities have already introduced MRPs at 58 missions abroad. The MRPs were introduced in the country on April 1, 2010, to speed up clearance and improve traveller security.