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Bangladesh High Commission emergency number in Australia: the calls to save before trouble starts

Tips · 2026-10-24 · 10 min read

The Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra's after-hours emergency number is 0416-285069. It is for people of Bangladesh origin in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji who face an emergency such as an accident, a death, or detention by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) or the Australian Border Force (ABF). For problems at work, the right first call is usually different: the Fair Work Ombudsman, reached through an interpreter if you need one. Save both before you need them.

Below: who to call for which problem, what each office can do, and the support Bangladesh offers a probashi worker abroad.

The numbers to save on your phone today

Put these in your phone and on a sheet of paper in your bag. A phone can be lost or run flat on the worst day.

In a life-threatening situation, call the local emergency services first. The numbers above come after you are safe.

When the High Commission is the right call

The High Commission is your government's office in the country. It deals with Bangladeshi citizens in serious trouble and with documents such as passports. The Canberra mission's contact page lists its address as 57, Culgoa Circuit, O'Malley, ACT 2606.

Emergencies outside office hours

The after-hours number exists for three kinds of crisis: an accident, a death, and detention by the AFP or ABF. If a friend from your shared house is in hospital after a road accident, or a cousin has been stopped at the border, this is the number to ring at night or on a weekend.

Everyday consular work

For a passport problem, write to the passport address in the table. For other consular matters, use the consular email or call the office line during working hours. Keep the subject short and put your passport number in the first line.

New Zealand

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade lists the Bangladesh High Commission in Wellington at Plimmer Tower, Suite 3108, Level 31, 2-6 Gilmer Terrace, Wellington 6011. Outside its hours, the Canberra after-hours line also covers people of Bangladesh origin in New Zealand.

What it cannot do

No embassy decides your visa. In Australia only Home Affairs can grant, refuse or cancel a visa. A High Commission can help in a crisis and with papers, but questions about the visa itself go to Home Affairs or to a registered migration agent.

Trouble at work in Australia: Fair Work in your language

Most problems that Bangladeshi workers face in Australia are workplace problems: short pay, no pay slip, being pushed to work unpaid, or a boss who uses the visa as a threat. Fair Work's page for visa holders and migrants is clear on the basics.

• Visa holders have the same workplace rights as every other employee, including pay, leave, protection from discrimination and final pay.
• An employer cannot cancel your visa, and contacting the Fair Work Ombudsman will not get your visa cancelled.
• Cashback, where an employer unreasonably requires you to pay them back in exchange for the job, is illegal.
• Pay slips must be given within 1 working day of pay day, on paper or electronically.

If your English is not strong, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. Tell them the language you want, such as Bangla. For a fuller list of the pay and leave visa holders can claim, this workers' rights guide written for Pakistani workers covers the same Australian rules.

Your pay slips are your evidence. Our guide to your first pay in Australia and the records to keep shows what a normal pay slip and bank deposit look like.

Trouble at work in New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand says everyone in the country, migrants included, has the same minimum employment rights, including paid holidays and sick leave. Employees become entitled to at least 4 weeks of paid annual holidays after 12 months of continuous work, and eligible employees get 10 days of paid sick leave a year.

New Zealand employers also cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, even through a third party. If someone asks an AEWV worker for money to keep a job, that is a warning sign. Immigration New Zealand's scam protection page explains this and how to check that a visa is real. Our AEWV guide for Bangladeshi workers explains how the visa is tied to an accredited employer.

A guide for Filipino workers on who to call when work goes wrong in Australia and New Zealand covers the same offices from another community's point of view, if a co-worker needs it.

Help from Bangladesh's side: Probashbandhu, BMET and the welfare board

Bangladesh's own system keeps working for you after you leave. BMET tells workers abroad who face a problem to contact the Bangladesh embassy in that country, the Ministry or BMET, or to file an online complaint.

Probashbandhu, day and night

The Probashbandhu call centre is run for migrant workers and their families and is open 24/7. Your mother in Rajshahi can call 16135 toll-free; you can call +88 09610 102 030 from Australia or New Zealand.

The Wage Earners' Welfare Board

The board's help depends on records. Its grant of Tk 3 lakh to the family of a worker who dies abroad is paid only if the worker had BMET emigration clearance or Board membership. Other support set out by the board:

• A worker who loses their job abroad and comes home within 6 months can get help claiming Tk 50 thousand in insurance.
• If a worker dies within 5 years of the clearance or membership date, the board helps the family claim Tk 10 lakh in insurance.
• Injured or sick returned workers can get up to Tk 2 lakh for treatment, after the board checks the application and speaks with the worker by video call.
• When a worker's body comes home, the Probashi Kallyan Desk at the airport gives the family Tk 35,000 straight away for transport and burial.

Already abroad without membership? You can apply online at portal.wewb.gov.bd, through the embassy labour welfare wing, for membership with life insurance, for the equivalent of Tk 6500 in local currency.

If the trouble began with an agent at home, our step-by-step guide on how to complain to BMET about a recruiting agency or dalal covers the complaint routes.

Step by step: the first hours of a problem

1. Get safe first. If anyone is in danger, call local emergency services before anyone else.
2. Write it down. Note the date, what happened, who was there, and keep messages, pay slips and photos of any notice you were given.
3. Pick the right office. Accident, death or detention: the High Commission's after-hours line. Pay, hours or threats at work: the interpreting service, then Fair Work. Visa questions: Home Affairs or a registered migration agent.
4. Tell your family. Give them the Probashbandhu number so someone at home can follow up with the Bangladesh side.
5. Keep copies of your papers. Passport, visa grant, contract, BMET smart card and pay slips, photographed and stored where you can reach them without your own phone.
6. If the job ends, plan the next one. Read the conditions in our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide, check with a registered migration agent, and look through sponsored manufacturing jobs and other categories on the site. An up-to-date English CV helps; Build AI CV can turn your Bangladesh and Gulf experience into one. Optional: a verified Talent Tabloid profile lets employers check your experience and can help your application stand out.

Common mistakes Bangladeshi workers make when trouble starts

Paying someone to "fix" the visa

Anyone giving immigration help with an Australian visa must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, and every registered agent has a MARN. Home Affairs says anyone promising you a visa is misleading you. A person from the community who charges to "talk to Immigration" for you is a risk, not a shortcut.

Believing the boss controls the visa

Many workers stay quiet because they think a complaint ends their visa. It does not: only Home Affairs can cancel a visa.

Paying money back to keep the job

Handing part of your wages back to an employer is the cashback scheme Fair Work calls illegal. Keep records and report it.

Leaving without BMET clearance

The welfare board's grant to a family depends on BMET clearance or Board membership. Workers who skipped the process can lose that safety net. Our guide on Australia visas sold in Bangladesh explains why a short cut can also be a crime.

Trusting a message that looks official

Home Affairs emails end in .gov.au; anything else claiming to be the department is a scam. Our seven checks for a fake Australia job offer work just as well on a message that arrives after you have landed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bangladesh High Commission emergency number in Australia?

The High Commission in Canberra gives 0416-285069 as its after-hours number for people of Bangladesh origin facing an emergency such as an accident, a death or detention by the AFP or ABF. During office hours the main line is +61 2 6290 0511.

Does the Canberra number also cover Bangladeshis in New Zealand?

Yes. The Canberra mission lists its after-hours number for people of Bangladesh origin in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. For everyday matters in New Zealand, the Bangladesh High Commission in Wellington is on +64 22 531 4441, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Can my employer cancel my visa if I complain about my pay?

No. Fair Work says an employer cannot cancel a worker's visa: only Home Affairs can grant, refuse or cancel visas. Contacting the Fair Work Ombudsman will not get your visa cancelled either, so a pay complaint is not a visa risk in itself.

Can my family in Bangladesh call someone for help on my behalf?

Yes. The Probashbandhu call centre is for migrant workers and their families and is open 24/7. From inside Bangladesh the number is 16135 and the call is toll-free; from abroad the number is +88 09610 102 030.

How do I talk to Fair Work if my English is not strong?

Call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. Tell the interpreting service which language you want, for example Bangla, so the conversation with Fair Work happens in words you are comfortable with.

Key takeaways

• Save 0416-285069, the Canberra High Commission's after-hours line, for accidents, deaths and detention.
• For pay or treatment at work in Australia, call 131 450 and ask for the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
• Your employer cannot cancel your visa; only Home Affairs can.
• Your family can call Probashbandhu on 16135, 24/7, from inside Bangladesh.
• BMET clearance or welfare board membership keeps the board's support open to you and your family.

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