A large portion of Bangladeshis living in Greece, a European country, work in the garment sector. They have been living abroad for years, leaving their families behind in search of a livelihood. One of them is Shahidul Islam. The holy Eid-ul-Adha has passed. Yet, even during this festive season, he is not feeling well. He sighed between works and said, “I can’t concentrate on anything here except my family. I can’t even go home due to the complexity of the paperwork. If my family were by my side, I might have been able to celebrate Eid happily.”
Not only Shahidul, but many expatriates in Greece are experiencing the same pain. Currently, more than 15 million Bangladeshis are living abroad around the world. They have left the country in the hope of a better future in search of a livelihood. But behind that dream, there is a long wait, loneliness, and the hardship of living without a family.
Although the process of bringing family to many European countries is relatively easy, family visas in Greece seem to be a big challenge for expatriates. Since there is no Greek embassy in Bangladesh, all visa-related work has to be done in India. And from there, a new chapter of suffering begins.
Bangladeshi expatriates in Greece allege that a ring of brokers is active around the Greek embassy in India. Applications do not proceed without a specific broker. From getting an appointment to document verification – everything is an unannounced obstacle. As a result, many have to return empty-handed despite spending lakhs of taka.
In Bangladeshi-populated areas of Greece, stories of family separation are now common. Some have been living legally in Greece for 20 to 25 years. They have even obtained permanent residency. Still, they are unable to take their wives and children with them. Although these expatriates, who work in the garment, restaurant and agricultural sectors, have achieved financial prosperity, family happiness has remained elusive.
Rafiqul Islam, an expatriate in Greece, said that despite earning two to two and a half lakh taka per month, he has no joy in his life. The days spent without his family for a long time are breaking him mentally. On the other hand, Abdul Malek, who has been living in Greece for almost two decades, said that he has tried many times for his family. He has sent documents to India with his wife and children. But despite staying there for two months, there has been no progress in the visa.
HM Zahid Islam, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Community in Greece, said, “We have been agitating for a long time to open a permanent embassy of Greece in Dhaka. Preparations are underway to collect public signatures in this regard and submit a memorandum to the relevant ministry. We are drawing the government’s attention to take effective initiatives quickly to reduce the suffering of the expatriates.”
Currently, about 35 to 40 thousand expatriate Bangladeshis are living in Greece. They are playing a role in the country’s economy by sending remittances through legal channels. According to Greek law, legal immigrants have the right to take their wives and children on a family reunion visa. However, in reality, the process is very complicated. Despite fulfilling all the conditions, expatriates have to wait for months, even years. Even many established businessmen are unable to overcome this complexity.
According to the current rules, all documents must first be authenticated and submitted to the VFS office in Dhaka. Then the file is sent to the Greek Embassy in New Delhi, India. From there, the Greek Immigration Ministry makes a decision after scrutiny. The long time it takes in this three-way process is increasing the suffering. Expatriates claim that broker syndicates are active taking advantage of this complexity.
In addition to opening a Greek embassy in Bangladesh and taking prompt diplomatic initiatives to simplify the family visa process, Bangladeshi expatriates in Greece have expressed their hope that Greece will become more humane and sincere towards expatriates.
