Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment

Established 20 December 2001 under PM Sheikh Hasina's government. Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury (BNP, Sylhet-4, elected 12 Feb 2026) holds both this portfolio and the Labour and Employment portfolio simultaneously -- an unusual dual posting. The ministry's primary operational body is BMET (Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, bmet.gov.bd), which issues emigration clearance, maintains biometric registration, and manages the Ami Probashi platform (now the ministry's own oc.bmet.gov.bd after contract non-renewal April 2025). Budget figure of Tk 855 crore for FY2025-26 is from BSS reporting on the proposed budget; Grant No. 37 / Head No. 140 at mof.portal.gov.bd. KSA block work visa hold was lifted in June 2025 for Bangladesh; Saudi Arabia remains the largest single destination. Malaysia reopening agreement (April 2026) targets 30,000-40,000 workers but is conditional on AI-based system deployment. Verification based on 2+ primary sources for all named events, figures, and personnel data. Annual budget in annual_budget_bdt field is Tk 855 crore = 8,550,000,000 BDT. [2026-06-08 audit correction] FY26 budget Tk 855cr flagged as implausibly low vs FY25 Tk 1,217cr; no confirmed FY26 figure, value left unchanged. Activity evidence hold: removed 2 exact generated refresh event(s) on read. Generated scores, positions, activity actions and verification stamps are unavailable. Retained events and unmatched action text require source review; original raw records are unchanged.