Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?

[Black_cats]

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?​

ANALYSIS​

Nusmila Lohani
12 June, 2022, 02:20 pm
Last modified: 12 June, 2022, 03:02 pm

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

Graphics: TBS

Recently, Bangladesh passport was ranked as the 9th weakest passport in the world in the Henley Index. It's not much of a surprise since we have consistently either moved up or down this index by only a few places over the last few years.

Henley Index's latest ranking placed the passport at 103rd position out of 116 positions. It is not quite easily understood what exactly the ranking means by itself for the passport holders. But one thing we know for certain is that Bangladesh passport has visa-free (or on-arrival visa) access to only 40 countries in the world, which is one of the primary parameters determining the ranking.

So why exactly is the Bangladesh passport so weak, what are the underlying factors that determine our visa-free access to countries around the world?

"If the ranking is based on the number of visa-free countries that a passport has access to, then our irregular migration is definitely related to it," said Former Ambassador Humayun Kabir, "We see it [Bangladeshis reaching destinations illegally] in the Mediterranean, in the Sahara, in Europe. These are the reasons or scope for the possibility for us to be portrayed negatively."

If we take a quick look at the short history of the Henley Passport Index, which was created only 16 years ago, we can see Bangladesh fared much better in 2006 (at 68th position) than it does now.

So how can we explain this trend? Increased movement of labour due to globalisation and the increase in anti-immigrant sentiment across the world, Kabir reckons, explains this trend.

"Technological innovation, financial innovation or you can say productivity innovation… this innovative process of globalisation made many old jobs redundant. And many people across the world were not able to adjust to the new economy from the old economy. For this, there has been a growing unemployment trend globally in the last 20 years," said Kabir.

Moreover, local politicians politicised this phenomenon for their interest and by doing so, "we have seen Brexit, Donald Trump, ultra-nationalists in Italy, AFD in Germany, etc," said Kabir.

Graphics: TBS

A prevalence of anti-immigrant sentiment spread its tentacles across borders which, in effect, translated to more and more visa restrictions. Thus, with more and more Bangladeshis migrating overseas over the last two decades garnering more visibility in the diaspora and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, it can be understood why Bangladesh's ranking fell in the Henley Passport Index.

But this is not all. There is a bigger picture at play here. First, the methodology matters a lot, according to Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations at Dhaka University.

"When there is an index perception [or such ranking], it doesn't excite me as a social scientist [because of its flaws]," said Ahmed, adding, "I am sure there must be other criteria [beyond visa-free access to countries] and I assume it is very biassed toward developed countries where GDP and income per capita are taken into account."

Perhaps now that Bangladesh is a soon-to-be-a-graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and boasts a thriving economy with most, if not all, indicators pointing to luscious growth, it is time to look at why Bangladeshis take up illegal channels to migrate.

To this end, Kabir stressed on how we talk about development in the country consistently, "But we have to somehow relate this development to the lives of the common people, integrate the common into the development process and create opportunities for them."

"There are a few elements in this regard. For example, the young generation, the 2 million newcomers or the young population, who join the job market every year – for them, other than the development stories, can we present a tangible hope to them?

Do they feel hopeful about this country?" said Kabir.

To truly address the issue of irregular migration and ways to rectify it, one needs to look at the root causes behind this phenomenon, according to Kabir. He also added, "Is there any future prospect of employment or any other economic opportunity that we can guarantee? If not, then the question is, what will they do?

"They will look for ways to go abroad. And that they do, both legally and illegally."

Additionally, Bangladesh should take into account that improving employment opportunities in the domestic market is a tall order and attaining 100 percent employment in the foreseeable future is near impossible given the size of the population. By doing so, according to Kabir, those who are leaving for work opportunities anyway should be trained and equipped to perform better overseas.

"In effect, [Bangladeshi] workers would be welcomed in many countries. Visas would no longer be required, they would be welcomed without a visa or given a visa on arrival," he said.

Graphics: TBS

A British firm named Henley and Partners is responsible for the Henley Passport Index, which takes data from the International Air Travel Association (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

For a story on Bangladesh passports last year, the British firm was contacted and asked to explain the criteria they base their ranking on.
"We are investment migration advisory specialists rather than political commentators," said Sarah Nicklin, Group Head of Public Relations at Henley and Partners over an email. "However, what we have observed is that commonalities in history and economic status, shared foreign policy goals, and reciprocity come into play, as well as security, trade, and political alliances."

One can deduce that Bangladesh's passport ranking – which tied with war-torn Libya and ranks lower than Myanmar at 97th position which has been under military rule since February 2021 when its civilian government was ousted – is not quite black and white that can be explained by irregular migration. Because when compared with countries faring much worse than Bangladesh in many aspects, the ranking does not quite add up.

Henley Passport Index's Sarah Nicklin also said earlier, "There are many countries in the world that have wholesale bans on nationals of specific countries entering their borders or on their own nationals entering the borders of specific countries because of collapsed diplomatic relations."

Additionally, perhaps there is a pre-existing bias which perceives certain countries in a certain way. And continues to keep countries like Bangladesh at a disadvantage with a weak passport.

This is attested by the fact that even when Bangladeshis aren't the highest migrant population entering a certain country, they still have to go through checks (such as acquiring visas) to enter a country, whereas certain nationals do not.

"The highest number [of people] who migrate to Australia is still the British people," said Imtiaz Ahmed. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reconfirms this statement.

"And they are allowed in. Whereas if I want to enter [Australia], I have to be a doctor, or an engineer [or someone with credentials and background checks] or they won't allow me in," said Ahmed, "So that is the problem."

Germany tops the Henley Passport Index at 2nd position with 190 visa-free destinations. "They [the ones who create policies and rankings] know very well that a German will not go and stay in Bangladesh. But will come and do business in Bangladesh," said Ahmed, pointing to the fact that nationals from developed countries are at an advantage [no visa limitation] who continue to exploit the theory of comparative advantage to their benefit.
Ahmed said we could make a ranking based on who is travelling to countries to take benefits of cheap labour countries. Such a hypothetical ranking will likely not bode well for several developed countries that continue to reap the benefits of our labour.

If we reverse-engineer Kabir's explanation for Bangladesh passport's weakness stemming from irregular immigration, perhaps then what Ahmed said rings more true, "you see, the moment Bangladesh becomes Singapore, you know a developed country, things will change.
"I guess it [the ranking] has more to do with a country not having access to privileges that a developed country enjoys solely due to the global status quo."

Whatever the underlying reasons may be, there is no doubt that such restrictions on movement of Bangladeshi has far-reaching implications, including and probably most importantly, on our competitiveness in global trade.

"Of course, visa-free access will help. It's really very difficult now when global customers are calling for meetings and we are not getting a visa even within 60 days for some of the countries," said Abdullah Hil Rakib, Managing Director of Team Group and the Director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), over a text message.

Rakib, who was in Spain on a business trip during the drafting of this article, also mentioned that the situation (visa application processing time) is really bad now due to huge backlogs caused by Covid-19. "For Spain, our [BGMEA] president could get it [the visa] after three weeks," he added.

Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, echoed the same sentiment, recognising how many nations already have visa-free entry to many countries while Bangladesh remains at a disadvantage.

"This is, of course, a hindrance for our market expansion or when we have bilateral trade that we want to develop," Hassan told The Business Standard.

---

Nusmila Lohani

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

www.tbsnews.net

 

[fallstuff]

Isn't this obvious ?

 

[bluesky]

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?​

ANALYSIS​

Nusmila Lohani
12 June, 2022, 02:20 pm
Last modified: 12 June, 2022, 03:02 pm

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

Graphics: TBS

Recently, Bangladesh passport was ranked as the 9th weakest passport in the world in the Henley Index. It's not much of a surprise since we have consistently either moved up or down this index by only a few places over the last few years.

Henley Index's latest ranking placed the passport at 103rd position out of 116 positions. It is not quite easily understood what exactly the ranking means by itself for the passport holders. But one thing we know for certain is that Bangladesh passport has visa-free (or on-arrival visa) access to only 40 countries in the world, which is one of the primary parameters determining the ranking.

So why exactly is the Bangladesh passport so weak, what are the underlying factors that determine our visa-free access to countries around the world?

"If the ranking is based on the number of visa-free countries that a passport has access to, then our irregular migration is definitely related to it," said Former Ambassador Humayun Kabir, "We see it [Bangladeshis reaching destinations illegally] in the Mediterranean, in the Sahara, in Europe. These are the reasons or scope for the possibility for us to be portrayed negatively."

If we take a quick look at the short history of the Henley Passport Index, which was created only 16 years ago, we can see Bangladesh fared much better in 2006 (at 68th position) than it does now.

So how can we explain this trend? Increased movement of labour due to globalisation and the increase in anti-immigrant sentiment across the world, Kabir reckons, explains this trend.

"Technological innovation, financial innovation or you can say productivity innovation… this innovative process of globalisation made many old jobs redundant. And many people across the world were not able to adjust to the new economy from the old economy. For this, there has been a growing unemployment trend globally in the last 20 years," said Kabir.

Moreover, local politicians politicised this phenomenon for their interest and by doing so, "we have seen Brexit, Donald Trump, ultra-nationalists in Italy, AFD in Germany, etc," said Kabir.

Graphics: TBS

A prevalence of anti-immigrant sentiment spread its tentacles across borders which, in effect, translated to more and more visa restrictions. Thus, with more and more Bangladeshis migrating overseas over the last two decades garnering more visibility in the diaspora and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, it can be understood why Bangladesh's ranking fell in the Henley Passport Index.

But this is not all. There is a bigger picture at play here. First, the methodology matters a lot, according to Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations at Dhaka University.

"When there is an index perception [or such ranking], it doesn't excite me as a social scientist [because of its flaws]," said Ahmed, adding, "I am sure there must be other criteria [beyond visa-free access to countries] and I assume it is very biassed toward developed countries where GDP and income per capita are taken into account."

Perhaps now that Bangladesh is a soon-to-be-a-graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and boasts a thriving economy with most, if not all, indicators pointing to luscious growth, it is time to look at why Bangladeshis take up illegal channels to migrate.

To this end, Kabir stressed on how we talk about development in the country consistently, "But we have to somehow relate this development to the lives of the common people, integrate the common into the development process and create opportunities for them."

"There are a few elements in this regard. For example, the young generation, the 2 million newcomers or the young population, who join the job market every year – for them, other than the development stories, can we present a tangible hope to them?

Do they feel hopeful about this country?" said Kabir.

To truly address the issue of irregular migration and ways to rectify it, one needs to look at the root causes behind this phenomenon, according to Kabir. He also added, "Is there any future prospect of employment or any other economic opportunity that we can guarantee? If not, then the question is, what will they do?

"They will look for ways to go abroad. And that they do, both legally and illegally."

Additionally, Bangladesh should take into account that improving employment opportunities in the domestic market is a tall order and attaining 100 percent employment in the foreseeable future is near impossible given the size of the population. By doing so, according to Kabir, those who are leaving for work opportunities anyway should be trained and equipped to perform better overseas.

"In effect, [Bangladeshi] workers would be welcomed in many countries. Visas would no longer be required, they would be welcomed without a visa or given a visa on arrival," he said.

Graphics: TBS

A British firm named Henley and Partners is responsible for the Henley Passport Index, which takes data from the International Air Travel Association (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

For a story on Bangladesh passports last year, the British firm was contacted and asked to explain the criteria they base their ranking on.
"We are investment migration advisory specialists rather than political commentators," said Sarah Nicklin, Group Head of Public Relations at Henley and Partners over an email. "However, what we have observed is that commonalities in history and economic status, shared foreign policy goals, and reciprocity come into play, as well as security, trade, and political alliances."

One can deduce that Bangladesh's passport ranking – which tied with war-torn Libya and ranks lower than Myanmar at 97th position which has been under military rule since February 2021 when its civilian government was ousted – is not quite black and white that can be explained by irregular migration. Because when compared with countries faring much worse than Bangladesh in many aspects, the ranking does not quite add up.

Henley Passport Index's Sarah Nicklin also said earlier, "There are many countries in the world that have wholesale bans on nationals of specific countries entering their borders or on their own nationals entering the borders of specific countries because of collapsed diplomatic relations."

Additionally, perhaps there is a pre-existing bias which perceives certain countries in a certain way. And continues to keep countries like Bangladesh at a disadvantage with a weak passport.

This is attested by the fact that even when Bangladeshis aren't the highest migrant population entering a certain country, they still have to go through checks (such as acquiring visas) to enter a country, whereas certain nationals do not.

"The highest number [of people] who migrate to Australia is still the British people," said Imtiaz Ahmed. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reconfirms this statement.

"And they are allowed in. Whereas if I want to enter [Australia], I have to be a doctor, or an engineer [or someone with credentials and background checks] or they won't allow me in," said Ahmed, "So that is the problem."

Germany tops the Henley Passport Index at 2nd position with 190 visa-free destinations. "They [the ones who create policies and rankings] know very well that a German will not go and stay in Bangladesh. But will come and do business in Bangladesh," said Ahmed, pointing to the fact that nationals from developed countries are at an advantage [no visa limitation] who continue to exploit the theory of comparative advantage to their benefit.
Ahmed said we could make a ranking based on who is travelling to countries to take benefits of cheap labour countries. Such a hypothetical ranking will likely not bode well for several developed countries that continue to reap the benefits of our labour.

If we reverse-engineer Kabir's explanation for Bangladesh passport's weakness stemming from irregular immigration, perhaps then what Ahmed said rings more true, "you see, the moment Bangladesh becomes Singapore, you know a developed country, things will change.
"I guess it [the ranking] has more to do with a country not having access to privileges that a developed country enjoys solely due to the global status quo."

Whatever the underlying reasons may be, there is no doubt that such restrictions on movement of Bangladeshi has far-reaching implications, including and probably most importantly, on our competitiveness in global trade.

"Of course, visa-free access will help. It's really very difficult now when global customers are calling for meetings and we are not getting a visa even within 60 days for some of the countries," said Abdullah Hil Rakib, Managing Director of Team Group and the Director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), over a text message.

Rakib, who was in Spain on a business trip during the drafting of this article, also mentioned that the situation (visa application processing time) is really bad now due to huge backlogs caused by Covid-19. "For Spain, our [BGMEA] president could get it [the visa] after three weeks," he added.

Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, echoed the same sentiment, recognising how many nations already have visa-free entry to many countries while Bangladesh remains at a disadvantage.

"This is, of course, a hindrance for our market expansion or when we have bilateral trade that we want to develop," Hassan told The Business Standard.

---

Nusmila Lohani

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

www.tbsnews.net

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?​

ANALYSIS​

Nusmila Lohani
12 June, 2022, 02:20 pm
Last modified: 12 June, 2022, 03:02 pm

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

Graphics: TBS

Recently, Bangladesh passport was ranked as the 9th weakest passport in the world in the Henley Index. It's not much of a surprise since we have consistently either moved up or down this index by only a few places over the last few years.

Henley Index's latest ranking placed the passport at 103rd position out of 116 positions. It is not quite easily understood what exactly the ranking means by itself for the passport holders. But one thing we know for certain is that Bangladesh passport has visa-free (or on-arrival visa) access to only 40 countries in the world, which is one of the primary parameters determining the ranking.

So why exactly is the Bangladesh passport so weak, what are the underlying factors that determine our visa-free access to countries around the world?

"If the ranking is based on the number of visa-free countries that a passport has access to, then our irregular migration is definitely related to it," said Former Ambassador Humayun Kabir, "We see it [Bangladeshis reaching destinations illegally] in the Mediterranean, in the Sahara, in Europe. These are the reasons or scope for the possibility for us to be portrayed negatively."

If we take a quick look at the short history of the Henley Passport Index, which was created only 16 years ago, we can see Bangladesh fared much better in 2006 (at 68th position) than it does now.

So how can we explain this trend? Increased movement of labour due to globalisation and the increase in anti-immigrant sentiment across the world, Kabir reckons, explains this trend.

"Technological innovation, financial innovation or you can say productivity innovation… this innovative process of globalisation made many old jobs redundant. And many people across the world were not able to adjust to the new economy from the old economy. For this, there has been a growing unemployment trend globally in the last 20 years," said Kabir.

Moreover, local politicians politicised this phenomenon for their interest and by doing so, "we have seen Brexit, Donald Trump, ultra-nationalists in Italy, AFD in Germany, etc," said Kabir.

Graphics: TBS

A prevalence of anti-immigrant sentiment spread its tentacles across borders which, in effect, translated to more and more visa restrictions. Thus, with more and more Bangladeshis migrating overseas over the last two decades garnering more visibility in the diaspora and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, it can be understood why Bangladesh's ranking fell in the Henley Passport Index.

But this is not all. There is a bigger picture at play here. First, the methodology matters a lot, according to Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations at Dhaka University.

"When there is an index perception [or such ranking], it doesn't excite me as a social scientist [because of its flaws]," said Ahmed, adding, "I am sure there must be other criteria [beyond visa-free access to countries] and I assume it is very biassed toward developed countries where GDP and income per capita are taken into account."

Perhaps now that Bangladesh is a soon-to-be-a-graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and boasts a thriving economy with most, if not all, indicators pointing to luscious growth, it is time to look at why Bangladeshis take up illegal channels to migrate.

To this end, Kabir stressed on how we talk about development in the country consistently, "But we have to somehow relate this development to the lives of the common people, integrate the common into the development process and create opportunities for them."

"There are a few elements in this regard. For example, the young generation, the 2 million newcomers or the young population, who join the job market every year – for them, other than the development stories, can we present a tangible hope to them?

Do they feel hopeful about this country?" said Kabir.

To truly address the issue of irregular migration and ways to rectify it, one needs to look at the root causes behind this phenomenon, according to Kabir. He also added, "Is there any future prospect of employment or any other economic opportunity that we can guarantee? If not, then the question is, what will they do?

"They will look for ways to go abroad. And that they do, both legally and illegally."

Additionally, Bangladesh should take into account that improving employment opportunities in the domestic market is a tall order and attaining 100 percent employment in the foreseeable future is near impossible given the size of the population. By doing so, according to Kabir, those who are leaving for work opportunities anyway should be trained and equipped to perform better overseas.

"In effect, [Bangladeshi] workers would be welcomed in many countries. Visas would no longer be required, they would be welcomed without a visa or given a visa on arrival," he said.

Graphics: TBS

A British firm named Henley and Partners is responsible for the Henley Passport Index, which takes data from the International Air Travel Association (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

For a story on Bangladesh passports last year, the British firm was contacted and asked to explain the criteria they base their ranking on.
"We are investment migration advisory specialists rather than political commentators," said Sarah Nicklin, Group Head of Public Relations at Henley and Partners over an email. "However, what we have observed is that commonalities in history and economic status, shared foreign policy goals, and reciprocity come into play, as well as security, trade, and political alliances."

One can deduce that Bangladesh's passport ranking – which tied with war-torn Libya and ranks lower than Myanmar at 97th position which has been under military rule since February 2021 when its civilian government was ousted – is not quite black and white that can be explained by irregular migration. Because when compared with countries faring much worse than Bangladesh in many aspects, the ranking does not quite add up.

Henley Passport Index's Sarah Nicklin also said earlier, "There are many countries in the world that have wholesale bans on nationals of specific countries entering their borders or on their own nationals entering the borders of specific countries because of collapsed diplomatic relations."

Additionally, perhaps there is a pre-existing bias which perceives certain countries in a certain way. And continues to keep countries like Bangladesh at a disadvantage with a weak passport.

This is attested by the fact that even when Bangladeshis aren't the highest migrant population entering a certain country, they still have to go through checks (such as acquiring visas) to enter a country, whereas certain nationals do not.

"The highest number [of people] who migrate to Australia is still the British people," said Imtiaz Ahmed. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reconfirms this statement.

"And they are allowed in. Whereas if I want to enter [Australia], I have to be a doctor, or an engineer [or someone with credentials and background checks] or they won't allow me in," said Ahmed, "So that is the problem."

Germany tops the Henley Passport Index at 2nd position with 190 visa-free destinations. "They [the ones who create policies and rankings] know very well that a German will not go and stay in Bangladesh. But will come and do business in Bangladesh," said Ahmed, pointing to the fact that nationals from developed countries are at an advantage [no visa limitation] who continue to exploit the theory of comparative advantage to their benefit.
Ahmed said we could make a ranking based on who is travelling to countries to take benefits of cheap labour countries. Such a hypothetical ranking will likely not bode well for several developed countries that continue to reap the benefits of our labour.

If we reverse-engineer Kabir's explanation for Bangladesh passport's weakness stemming from irregular immigration, perhaps then what Ahmed said rings more true, "you see, the moment Bangladesh becomes Singapore, you know a developed country, things will change.
"I guess it [the ranking] has more to do with a country not having access to privileges that a developed country enjoys solely due to the global status quo."

Whatever the underlying reasons may be, there is no doubt that such restrictions on movement of Bangladeshi has far-reaching implications, including and probably most importantly, on our competitiveness in global trade.

"Of course, visa-free access will help. It's really very difficult now when global customers are calling for meetings and we are not getting a visa even within 60 days for some of the countries," said Abdullah Hil Rakib, Managing Director of Team Group and the Director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), over a text message.

Rakib, who was in Spain on a business trip during the drafting of this article, also mentioned that the situation (visa application processing time) is really bad now due to huge backlogs caused by Covid-19. "For Spain, our [BGMEA] president could get it [the visa] after three weeks," he added.

Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, echoed the same sentiment, recognising how many nations already have visa-free entry to many countries while Bangladesh remains at a disadvantage.

"This is, of course, a hindrance for our market expansion or when we have bilateral trade that we want to develop," Hassan told The Business Standard.

---

Nusmila Lohani

Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?

Irregular migration, anti-immigrant sentiment in the developed world, pre existing bias and inherent limits in research methodology all play a role in undermining Bangladesh passport’s standing in the Henley Passport Index

www.tbsnews.net

It is Mustafa Kamal, @UKBengali and @Black_cats who think the BD economy to overtake that of Japan and Germany together, but BD economy remains stagnant and millions of people are fleeing this poor country.

So, the BD passport draws no respect in the world and its population is a burden to them. This is why BD passport has little value in other countries.

 

[mmr]

Thats because no one believes bd is the fastest growing economy lol. Not to mention very poor brand value. Famous for being home of the sweatshops.

 

[Destranator]

A few reasons:

1. Many countries obtained visa free entry privileges pre-9/11. Once you grant such privilege to a country, it is hard to withdraw it without causing diplomatic tussles so most of the existing privileges were retained post-9/11. Post 9/11, it has become more difficult for poor countries to gain such privileges.
2. Bangladesh's reputation as a natural disaster prone nation.
3. Bangladesh's reputation as the most overpopulated nation on earth barring city states like HK, Singapore, etc.
4. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country. Whether we like it or not, no non-Muslim country wants a major influx of Muslims.
5. Tendency of Bangladeshis to migrate illegally to the West and East Asia.
6. Indian propaganda on mass illegal migration of Bangladeshis to India.
7. Pathetic foreign service

 

[lastofthepatriots]

Although Bangladeshi economy is doing well, you guys should keep your heads down and keep working hard. Everybody wants to be your friend when you got money.

Please don’t turn into bhartis that ejaculate prematurely. They were supposed to become a superpower 2 years ago but are still shitting on railway tracks.

 

[bluesky]

A few reasons:

1. Many countries obtained visa free entry privileges pre-9/11. Once you grant such privilege to a country, it is hard to withdraw it without causing diplomatic tussles so most of the existing privileges were retained post-9/11. Post 9/11, it has become more difficult for poor countries to gain such privileges.
2. Bangladesh's reputation as a natural disaster prone nation.
3. Bangladesh's reputation as the most overpopulated nation on earth barring city states like HK, Singapore, etc.
4. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country. Like it or not, non-Muslim country wants a major influx of Muslims.
5. Tendency of Bangladeshis to migrate illegally to the West and East Asia.
6. Indian propaganda on mass illegal migration of Bangladeshis to India.
7. Pathetic foreign service

Yes, you are right. Of course, there are various reasons that BD passports are looked down in other airports. I have my personal experience in the Frankfurt Airport of Germany many years ago.

I don't blame those Customs officers. They explained there are agreements between any two countries. So, they took my Passport and gave me a document to stay the transit out of the airport. It also happened in London, Jurich, and Schiphol airports. I traveled from Tokyo.

I do not blame them. Because if they open their airports, 90% of BD people would leave their high GDP country and settle in Europe and America. Our VIPs will be in the front to catch the first planes.

No wonder, they have been sanctioned.

 

[bluesky]

Well the problem is illegal immigration. I am from the US and here we have too many people of Bengali origin who make use of various asylum programs just to stay here permanently. No country on earth would scrutinize legal immigrants. In Canada you have too many Bengalis legally migrating without problems. Same can be said for the United States.

Regardless of your positive opinion about legal migration to the USA, it is imperative that a poor country like BD builds enough industrial base to employ its citizens. But, this is not happening here.

I do not think the US govt will open the airports for most of our people to migrate there. BD needs industrialization.

 

[Black_cats]

Regardless of your positive opinion about legal migration to the USA, it is imperative that a poor country like BD builds enough industrial base to employ its citizens. But, this is not happening here.

I do not think the US govt will open the airports for most of our people to migrate there. BD needs industrialization.

Look we are not talking about visa free entry to OECD countries. But there are many countries which allow visa free entry to countries like India, Sri Lanka etc. This is failure of Bangladesh government and foreign ministry to negotiate with those countries and get more visa free access to those countries.

India contribute to the largest illegal immigration world wide but still get visa free access to 58 countries.

That has nothing to do with industrialization which comes into play if you need access to OECD countries.

Visa requirements for Indian citizens - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Bangladesh has 41 country at the moment with visa free access. Adding 17 to 20 country more will give big jump at the passport index. It’s just a desire that is required by foreign ministry.

Visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[bluesky]

Look we are not talking about visa free entry to OECD countries. But there are many countries which allow visa free entry to countries like India, Sri Lanka etc. This is failure of Bangladesh government and foreign ministry to negotiate with those countries and get more visa free access to those countries.

India contribute to the largest illegal immigration world wide but still get visa free access to 58 countries.

That has nothing to do with industrialization which comes into play if you need access to OECD countries.

Visa requirements for Indian citizens - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Bangladesh has 41 country at the moment with visa free access. Adding 17 to 20 country more will give big jump at the passport index. It’s just a desire that is required by foreign ministry.

Visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Make the country really developed, other countries will respect our Passport. Throughout the world, we are known as a poor and destitute group of people.

It may happen if only BD people build industries and the govt supports the efforts from all sides. This is happening in Vietnam but not in BD.

 

[Black_cats]

Make the country really developed, other countries will respect our Passport. Throughout the world, we are known as a poor and destitute group of people.

It may happen if only BD people build industries and the govt supports the efforts from all sides. This is happening in Vietnam but not in BD.

I guess you don’t even know how this ranking works. Industrialization, respecting passport by developed countries come into play if you need access to OECD countries.

India has access to 68 countries (20 visa free and 48 visa on arrival) and rank 66.

Where as Bangladesh has 15 visa free and 32 visa on arrival access and rank is 81 in the bottom 9.

India has most access to African countries which Bangladesh government can easily get but more negotiation is required by foreign ministry which they are not doing.

Global Passport Power Rank 2024 | Passport Index 2024

Explore the interactive global ranking of the world's passports in real-time. Which passport is ranked 1st? Which is last? Find out on Passport Index!

www.passportindex.org

Adding 20 more country will give Bangladesh a big jump in ranking.

 

[Indos]

I guess you don’t even know how this ranking works. Industrialization, respecting passport by developed countries come into play if you need access to OECD countries.

India has access to 68 countries (20 visa free and 48 visa on arrival) and rank 66.

Where as Bangladesh has 15 visa free and 32 visa on arrival access and rank is 81 in the bottom 9.

India has most access to African countries which Bangladesh government can easily get but more negotiation is required by foreign ministry which they are not doing.

Global Passport Power Rank 2024 | Passport Index 2024

Explore the interactive global ranking of the world's passports in real-time. Which passport is ranked 1st? Which is last? Find out on Passport Index!

www.passportindex.org

Adding 20 more country will give Bangladesh a big jump in ranking.

Making deal with African countries means you need reciprocal approach with them, allowing your countrymen to go to African countries and in return allowing those African countries citizens easy access to your nation. There is no one way when you deal with other country.

 

[Black_cats]

This link for example shows passport rank comparison between Honduras, India and Bangladesh.

Honduras despite being a poor country has one of the highest rank in terms of passport.

Compare Passports Power | Passport Index 2024

Compare passports side-by-side to see where your passport can take you. What is your mobility score and which countries you can visit without a visa?

www.passportindex.org

Foreign ministry of Bangladesh needs to be pro active to add more country in the list which is not impossible.

Making deal with African countries means you need reciprocal approach with them, allowing your countrymen to go to African countries and in return allowing those African countries citizens easy access to your nation. There is no one way when you deal with other country.

If India allows, I don’t think we can’t allow them in return as well.

 

[Paitoo]

The title is click bait. There is no paradox in being a fast growing economy and having a weak passport. In fact they may be correlated. In any case, the number of countries allowing visa free / visa on arrival is hardly a strong metric in itself. Indian passport does not do well either if one excludes a slew of African and tiny Caribbean nations.

Also lets be realistic with respect to passport strength. The only people who worry a lot about this are middle class (and upwards) folks who resent not being able to easily get visa for their holidays abroad. When their privilege cannot make them skip the visa queue. Even if more countries started issuing VoA, how does it change the life of ordinary Bangladeshis / Indians / Pakistanis who cannot afford the travel in the first place?

Serious businessmen will get visas if they are visiting an expo, or have a business associate who can provide a letter of assurance.

 

[Black Tornado]

Less to do with economic power more to do with diplomatic power.