Working in the UAE
For Bangladesh passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
The UAE issues work visas through the employer; on the Bangladesh side the demand letter must be attested and BMET clearance obtained.
What the employer must have
- A UAE-registered employer must apply to MoHRE for your work permit and sponsor your residence visa.
- The demand letter must be attested by the Bangladesh mission and the job order approved by BMET or the Ministry.
What you must do before you leave
- You cannot board a flight for work without BMET emigration clearance — the QR-coded BMET smart card. Immigration will stop you at the airport even with a valid visa, and the card itself has been free since December 2024.
- Register in the BMET database and complete the 3-day Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) at a Technical Training Centre in your district.
- Use a recruiting agency licensed by BMET, and insist on seeing the demand letter: it must be attested by the Bangladesh mission in the destination country, and the job order approved by BMET (up to 100 workers) or by the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare (more than 100).
- Ask your agency for the attested demand letter and check the employer name on it matches your contract.
Things to watch
- The government sets a maximum migration cost for each destination, and the gap between that ceiling and what workers actually pay is the central problem of this corridor: for Malaysia the official ceiling was Tk 78,990 while the average worker paid about Tk 544,000. Ask for the official rate in writing and get a receipt for every taka.
- Licences do get revoked — 49 recruiting agencies lost theirs over the Malaysia syndicate. Check that your agency is currently licensed before you pay, not after.
- The residence visa is tied to the sponsoring employer.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE GOVERNMENT-SET MAXIMUM MIGRATION COST for this destination is Tk 1,07,780, and it is ALL-INCLUSIVE — agent's service charge, air ticket, medical, visa, everything. Pay it by cheque or bank transfer into the agency's own account, never cash to a person, and demand a receipt.
Section 21, Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013; government migration-cost table published by the Probashi Kallyan Desk. Report overcharging at ovijogbmet.org or 16135.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.