MiGRAMS causes great threat to manpower exports to Malaysia

Publish: 11:37 AM, May 7, 2023 | Update: 11:37 AM, May 7, 2023

A Bangladeshi origin Malaysian citizen is controlling Bangladeshi manpower export business using MiGRAMS, an online registration portal for workers’ health screening.
A worker have to collect calling visa and then collect E-Visa, and the attestation from the Bangladesh Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to make a fly to Malaysia. But he needs a health screening report first as a pre-requisite of getting the calling visa.
For performing the health screening a worker need to be registered in MiGRAMS system by paying 100 ringgit registration fee.
Recruiting agencies complete this registration process and pay the fee of the workers. Upon paying the fees recruiting agents get credit as like a prepaid system. Credits deposited in “top-up e-wallet” segment of MiGRAMS portal.
Now the top-up e-wallet option for paying registration fee is erased from the portal by Bestinet.
This manipulation is depriving Bangladeshi workers of entering in Malaysian labor market which causes a serious threat to this sector’s rich potential.
Along with the workers dozens of agencies who have a good reputation and track record in manpower export are falling in to the image crisis. And thousands of Bangladeshi workers are suffering.
Malaysian government assigned online system provider Bestinet who owned the MiGRAMS. Bangladeshi origin Dato Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor is the owners of Bestinet and recklessly created obstacle for Bangladeshi agencies and controlling the whole system.
At this stage Bestinet is allocating credit only for those agencies that are in his syndicate. Thus many recruiting agencies are depriving despite having adequate number of workers demand.
Insiders claimed that Dato Aminul with his Bangladeshi Partners is illegally collecting money more than RM100 for each worker in Bangladesh. Thus, they are earning extra money from the poor Bangladeshi migration aspirant workers.
“Nothing can be done if MiGRAMS registration is not done. We wrote letters to Bestinet, Expatriates welfare ministry in Bangladesh and Human Resource ministry of Malaysia. We hope the concern authorities will take appropriate actions to break the malpractices, Mahbub Miah Babul, proprietor of Darbar Global Overseas
“Apart from access problem to e-wallet, there are some problems we face with the MiGRAMS. Very often a worker need to perform health screening as MiGRAMS authority said it was not done properly. In this case each time we have to pay 100 ringgit for the same worker, he added.

Many Bangladeshi recruiting agencies failed to find the e-wallet option in the MiGRAMS system from the mid-January this year. Later on May 2, recruiting agencies send a letter to the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmed to solve the problem.
On top of that Malaysian Human Resource Ministry wrote Bestinet several times in between March3, March 7 and March 8 to make top up e-wallet service open for all. But bestinet did not do that. Later in March 20, in a letter Malaysian human resource ministry warned Bestinet and said that the ministry received complains that Bangladeshi recruiting agencies are still unable to use the service.
“The ministry hopes that this is the last letter submitted to Bestinet regarding this matter. The ministry is very concerned about this matter because it does not support the implementation of the Bangladesh Employment MoU concluded by this two countries to run smoothly and to achieve the goals desired by the both countries.
“Requesting your immediate cooperation to take appropriate action against this complain” ministry letter read.
Latter on March 22, April 2 and April 16, Bangladeshi recruiting agencies send email to Bestinet seeking the opportunity to pay the registration fee.
“There are two types of problems of paying registration fees from Bangladesh. Firstly, there is no legal way to send money to a Malaysian company from Bangladesh. And the second problem is the Bestinet is not providing top-up to the agencies who are not the member of the racket created by its owner Dato Amin, Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury, owner of Sadia International
Shamim also the former secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) said, “As per MoU signed between Malaysia and Bangladesh all expense in Malaysian part including system provider’s fees will be beard by the employer. And Health Screening should be done by the Bangladeshi medical centers with the supervision of the ministry of expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment.
“The whole process of sending manpower to Malaysia became hostage to the Bestinet in MiGRAMS registration, he added.

What is Migrams?
MiGRAMS is an online portal where every aspirant workers need to be registered for performing health screening. Workers registration need to be done after qouta approval of workers demand in favor of Malaysian employers and distribute whose demands among Bangladeshi recruiting agencies through Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS). The MiGRAMS registration fee is RM100 (Tk2,700) for each workers.

Poor workers are the ultimate victim
Poor people who want to change their fate by going abroad for work are the main victim of this malpractices. At present at least 32,000 workers are trying to get registration. They gave money to the recruiter. And waiting to go to Malaysia.
Md Sujon, healing from Chittagong said, “I gave TK1, 00,000 to the recruiter. I loan the money at 5 per cent interestpoor people rate. Now waiting for health screening. After health Screening visa will be issues. I am waiting for at least two month to perform health screening.
Recruiting agencies are saying they are helpless and aspirants migrants also suffering and blaiming them for the delay.
“Complexity in Migrams registration is delaying the migration process and creating uncertainty. Moreover, country is depriving from remittance, Golam Sarwar, managing partner of Haidory Trade International said.

Who and how should pay?

Earlier the MiGRAMS registration fees were paid by the Malaysian employer. Later on September 27, 2022 in a letter, Malaysian foreign ministry informed the Bangladesh High Commission to Kuala Lumpur that each workers’ 100 ringgit registration fee to MiGRAMS shall be paid by recruiting agencies in Bangladesh. However, for other 13 sources countries employer pay the fees. Only Bangladesh is exceptional.
“in case of other sources countries including Nepal there is no relation of health screening and MiGRAMS. They perform workers health screening from their government approved medical centers. Moreover, employer pay the registration fee for all other sources country, the same procedure need to be maintain for Bangladesh. Md Mizanur Rahman, managing director of Elegants Overseas
A Bangladeshi agency buy credit by paying advance money through credit card in Malaysia and credit were shown deposited in MiGRAMS portal. The option was called e-Wallet Top-Up. Now, MiGRAMS system owner Bestinet erased the option of paying the registration fees from the portal. Now, the agencies who are ally of Dato Amin and Ruhul Amin are only able to pay the registration fee in other ways bypassing the online system.

Poor workers are the ultimate victim
Poor people who want to change their fate by going abroad for work are the main victim of this malpractices. At present at least 32,000 workers are trying to get registration. They gave money to the recruiter. And waiting to go to Malaysia.
Md Sujon, healing from Chittagong said, “I gave TK1, 00,000 to the recruiter. I loan the money at 5 per cent interestpoor people rate. Now waiting for health screening. After health Screening visa will be issues. I am waiting for at least two month to perform health screening.
Recruiting agencies are saying they are helpless and aspirants migrants also suffering and blaiming them for the delay.
“Complexity in Migrams registration is delaying the migration process and creating uncertainty. Moreover, country is depriving from remittance, Golam Sarwar, managing partner of Haidory Trade International said.

MiGRAMS top up system controls the total manpower business?

Every workers need to perform a health screening from selected Bangladeshi medical centers. To perform workers health screening, MiGRAMS registration is a must.
Due to erase the e-wallet top-up system, recruiting agencies need to convince this system owners bestinet for paying registration fee.
“For last one and half month we cannot registrar in MiGRAMS. Dato Amin lead quarter is trying to establish that the other agencies who are not in his control are non-competence. Though we are failing to pay the fee, Amin controlled agencies are doing health screening and paying the as well by bypassing the MiGRAMS’s e-Wallet top-up option, Md Mizanur Rahman, managing director Elegants Overseas. He received order of 1500 workers who are struggling to do registration.
Seeking anonymity a recruiting agent said, “Cathersis International owner Ruhul Amin Shawpon is collecting registration fees in Bangladesh on behalf of Bestinet.”