Every year, Bangladeshi workers are swindled out of their money through bogus job offers, unlicensed brokers and fake visas. Recruitment fraud usually follows the same pattern: a middleman promises a high-paying job abroad, collects an advance payment, and disappears or hands over a fraudulent visa. The good news is that the overseas employment system in Bangladesh is now functioning through official digital channels available for verification before a single taka changes hands.
Step 1: Make sure the Agency is BMET-Licensed
Only agencies with a valid recruitment license from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, are legally allowed to source and deploy workers abroad. Instead of depending on a signboard, business card or verbal assurance, workers should cross-check the agency’s licence number with BMET’s official records before engaging with any agency. Licensed agencies must maintain bank guarantees and file compliance reports on a regular basis, so a genuine agency will never hesitate to share its licence details.
Step 2: Look at the job in the OEP Portal
The Bangladesh Mission abroad uses the government’s Overseas Employment Platform (OEP) as the official channel to verify the employer, attest the job demand and confirm the visa. The platform is accessible at oep.gov.bd. A real job offer should have the employer’s request formally approved and attested, not just passed along by an agent as a scanned document. Workers can also register with BMET on this platform using their National ID prior to any recruitment agency.
Step 3: BMET Registration and Clearance System Check
BMET clearance is a must for anyone travelling abroad for work, and the same is now being processed through oc.bmet.gov.bd, which has replaced the discontinued Ami Probashi app. This clearance is not just a formality for airport immigration; it places the worker on official government record, and this matters if a dispute arises overseas. Applicants can check the status of their applications as pending, approved or rejected by logging into the portal with their registration details, and the status of biometric enrolment can be checked separately through the Bio-Finger Enrolment Validation page of BMET.
Watch for Regulated Fee Caps
The costs of recruiting for jobs abroad are not negotiable; they are controlled by the government, and that is one of the clearest signs of fraud when it is not respected:
- There are government limits on what can be charged to a worker and what the employer has to pay.
- A mandatory Wage Earners’ Welfare Fund payment, usually BDT 2,500–3,500 depending on the destination country, is in addition to any agency service charge.
- A large lump-sum “advance” requested before a visa and job demand are verified should be taken as a red flag.
- Real processing time, from manpower request to deployment, is often 6-12 weeks. Promises of exceptional quickness are a red flag.
Remember the Red Flags
Workers should be wary of agents who do not offer a licence number, offer jobs “outside the system” to avoid BMET registration, ask for full payment before a contract is signed, or try to pressure someone into a fast decision. For actual placements abroad, there always is an approved employer demand, a contract in a standard format, and, as a requirement, pre-departure orientation training.
Conclusion
BMET and the OEP portal are much quicker ways to verify a job offer than to try to recover money lost to a fraudulent agent. Workers should check with official government agencies, not just take the broker’s word, to confirm the agency is licensed, the employer’s attested demand, and their own BMET registration status before paying fees.
Summary
A practical guide showing Bangladeshi migrant workers how to confirm a recruiting agency’s license, verify employer and job demand approval, and check regulated fee limits through official government channels before handing over any money.
