Dhaka: One day after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia unveiled its new initiative in Dhaka, an official from the manpower export bureau told Arab News on Tuesday that Bangladesh is optimistic that Saudi Arabia's expanded electronic visa facility will benefit its migrant workers.

Issa bin Yousef Al-Duhailan, the Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh, introduced the electronic visa facility for Bangladeshi workers, residents, and visitors on Monday in an effort to simplify the procedure for residents of the South Asian nation.

According to a tweet from the Saudi embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh is the first country to offer this service. The e-visa facility for Saudi Arabia is open to tourists from almost 50 other nations, but in Bangladesh, the service was previously restricted to those travelling for Umrah.

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According to Shahidul Alam, director-general at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, Bangladesh is the first country to receive opportunities for e-visas for migrants from the Kingdom's authorities, as reported by Arab News.

"The initiative was launched on May 1st, which is recognised as Workers' Rights Day, and we believe it will have a positive impact on Bangladeshi migrants."
According to data from BMET, more than 610,000 Bangladeshis, or more than half of all migrant workers from South Asia, went to work in Saudi Arabia last year.

According to Alam, the new system will allow for much faster processing of immigrant visas.

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"The new system is anticipated to lower migration costs. The more automated and devoid of human intervention the system is, the less complicated it becomes, said Alam, who was present at the Dhaka e-visa launch event.

The launch of the electronic visa in Bangladesh is "implementation of the generous directives and in achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to automate all procedures and to provide highly efficient digital services," the Saudi embassy in Dhaka said.

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According to a Bangladesh Bank report released in February, workers in the Kingdom sent about $910 million to Bangladesh during the fourth quarter of last year, making it the second-largest source of remittances after the US.