Europe visa holders ask BMET to resume clearance: what it means for Ukraine-bound workers

What happened in Dhaka on 24 September 2026

Coordinators of the Europe Visa Seekers Unity Council (Md. Tuhin, Ibrahim Sardar and Sumon Rahman) said at the National Press Club that holders of valid work visas for Serbia, North Macedonia and Moldova are waiting for BMET clearance. According to the Bangladesh Monitor report, the council argued that additional approval and demand-letter attestation requirements are "putting hundreds of valid visa holders at risk of missing their travel deadlines despite completing the required verification procedures".

The council placed six demands. The report names these:

1. Let workers who already hold visas depart.
2. Prioritise cases with visas close to expiry.
3. Address workers' financial losses caused by the delays.
4. Give clear decisions after consulting recruiting agencies and workers.
5. Simplify approval for sending more than five workers to one company.

Coordinator Ibrahim Sardar urged BMET and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment to speed up attestation and clearance and remove unnecessary administrative delays.

"We want those who have secured valid visas and overseas jobs to be able to travel without unnecessary barriers," coordinator Md. Tuhin said. The report records no response from BMET.

Why a valid visa is only half the file

Under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, every person going abroad for work registers with BMET (section 19), and BMET issues emigration clearance on an electronic card that carries the worker's fingerprints and biometric data once all migration formalities are complete, with a seal bearing the registration number in the passport (section 20). In everyday use this is the "BMET card" or smart card.

The Dhaka complaints concern the steps before that card: extra approval once more than five workers go to one company, and demand-letter attestation. A visa carries fixed dates, so when clearance runs late the visa can expire before departure, and the money already spent is at risk.

The same order applies to Ukraine

For Ukraine the sequence is: verified employer, then the work permit, then the Type D visa, then BMET clearance, then departure and the temporary residence permit in Ukraine. Each step relies on the documents from the previous one. A foreign worker who holds a work permit and a temporary residence permit stays in Ukraine lawfully for the period of work (Article 4(4) of the Law "On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons").

• The employer applies for the work permit, with a draft contract, to the State Employment Service, which has up to seven working days to decide after registering the application (Articles 42, 42-2, 42-6 of the Law "On Employment of the Population").
• A Type D work visa requires a certified copy of that permit (Cabinet Resolution No. 118, para. 8).
• In our experience the whole route takes weeks longer than the permit decision; it depends on the case and on the authorities' workload. Documents for the BMET step: our BMET clearance guide.

Three checks before you pay

Three checks at the agency and employer stage:

• The agency's RL licence shows Active in BMET's RAIMS list.
• The Ukrainian employer is in the state register; an absent or liquidated employer is a ground to refuse the permit (Article 42-9).
• Permit, contract and invitation name the same employer and position.

Full method: our BAIRA license check guide. Registry check on your employer: employer verification ($79).

Frequently asked questions