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Sub-agent from a recruiting agency in Bangladesh? What the 2023 law means before you pay

Tips · 2026-10-23 · 10 min read

A sub-agent of a recruiting agency in Bangladesh, the village agent who brings workers to a licensed agency, must now be registered. Since the 2023 amendment to the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013, anyone who works as a sub-agent, or claims to be one, without registering under section 14A faces 1 year's imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousand to 2 lakh taka. So the first question to a village agent is no longer "can you get me a job in bidesh?" but "which licensed agency do you work for, and are you registered?"

Who is a sub-agent, and how is that different from a dalal?

In most districts, the first person a worker meets is not the agency in Dhaka but a local man who collects passports and talks to families. People call him a dalal or simply "the agent".

The law now separates three kinds of people. A recruiting agent holds a licence from the Government. A sub-agent works for a licensed agent and must be registered under section 14A. A dalal is the middleman with neither a licence nor a registration, and BMET warns workers never to rely on one, because it can lead to losing money and to human trafficking.

From the outside, a registered sub-agent and an unregistered dalal look the same: a friendly face at the tea stall who says he can arrange everything. Only the registration tells them apart.

What the 2023 amendment changed

The Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 is Act No. 48 of 2013, dated 27 October 2013. It replaced the Emigration Ordinance, 1982, and it was amended by Act No. 41 of 2023. That 2023 amendment is the one that brought sub-agents inside the law.

Section 35(2), inserted in 2023, punishes a person who works as a recruiting agent's sub-agent, or says they are one, without registering under section 14A. The same amendment gave the Government a new power over agencies too: under section 12(1A) it can fine a recruiting agent 50 thousand to 2 lakh taka after an inquiry and hearing.

The Act has been amended again since, by Act No. 42 of 2026. Before you rely on any section for a complaint, read the current text on the official laws website, or ask your District Employment and Manpower Office (DEMO) to explain what applies today.

For a worker, this means a false claim of being a sub-agent is itself an offence. You have a clear question to ask, and a clear reason to walk away when the answer is vague.

The penalties side by side

This table puts the offences a job seeker is most likely to meet next to each other.

Notice the gap. A licence lasts 3 years from the date of issue and has to be renewed every three years under section 11, so an agency that was real once can still be out of date today.

Some village agents go further and offer to sell a visa or a demand letter. That is a different and heavier crime for both sides; our post on why buying an Australia visa in Bangladesh can mean 2 to 7 years in prison explains section 33.

How to check who you are dealing with

Do these checks before you hand over money, your passport or copies of your certificates.

1. Ask the sub-agent two things. Which licensed recruiting agency does he work for, and is he registered as its sub-agent under the 2023 law? Write down the agency name and its RL number (its BMET licence number).
2. Look the agency up on RAIMS. BMET's public list of recruiting agencies shows each agency's RL number, name, address, office phone, licence status (Active, Expired, Cancelled or Suspended) and validity date. Anything other than Active with a date still ahead of you is a reason to stop.
3. Call the agency yourself. Use the office phone printed on RAIMS, not a number the village agent gives you. Ask whether this person is their registered sub-agent and whether the job is real.
4. Ask your DEMO. BMET tells workers to contact their nearest District Employment and Manpower Office, or the BMET website, for information on approved agencies. Go there when the answers do not match.
5. Check the job itself. For Australia or New Zealand there should be a real employer behind it. A message out of nowhere with a big salary is a warning sign; our seven checks for a fake Australia job offer walk you through it.
6. Pay only the licensed agency, only on paper. BMET says to pay the agency by cheque, pay order or bank draft. No cash to the sub-agent, no money to his personal mobile wallet, and a receipt for every payment.

Workers in other countries face the same kind of middlemen. NaijaAbroad's guide on how Nigerian job seekers check whether a recruitment agency is really licensed shows how similar the warning signs are from Lagos to Cumilla.

Paying only the licensed agency

Money is where most village-agent stories go wrong: the sub-agent asks for "file money" in cash, promises to pass it on, and the agency later says it never received it. Paying the agency by cheque, pay order or bank draft puts the payment in the agency's name, with a paper trail.

BMET emigration clearance has its own fixed costs, paid by pay order and challan, not in cash to anyone in your village. Our breakdown of the BMET clearance fee and the receipts to keep lists each line, and the BMET smart card checklist covers the documents.

What Australia and New Zealand say about paying for a job

The destination countries draw a hard line. In Australia, it is illegal to pay an employer to sponsor you for a visa, including through salary deductions, and it can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment. The sponsoring employer must pay the costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating you, and cannot pass them to you or your family.

New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party.

Common mistakes Bangladeshi job seekers make with village agents

• Trusting a face instead of a licence. The agent is a neighbour, so nobody asks for the agency's RL number. Cash paid to him is the hardest money to trace.
• Handing over the passport first. Section 31 of the Act makes holding back a migrant's passport or papers without lawful reason an offence, but getting it back is still hard. Give copies until you have checked the agency.
• Believing "registration will come later". Under section 35(2), working as a sub-agent without registering is already the offence. There is no grace period to wait for.
• Staying silent after losing money. Many families feel ashamed and wait. Complaints work on evidence and fixed timelines, so act while your receipts and messages are fresh.

Where to complain about a sub-agent or dalal

BMET's citizen charter lets outgoing, returned or cheated workers complain against a recruiting agency at no cost, with a signed application and evidence, to the Director General of BMET, which settles it within 30 working days after an inquiry committee and hearing.

Section 41 of the 2013 Act lets anyone who has been harmed complain to the Government against any person, including a recruiting agent, for fraud or taking money illegally.

The Probashbandhu call centre is open 24/7 on 16135, toll-free inside Bangladesh. The Australian High Commission in Dhaka also asks people to report scam agents to the local police and to the Probashbondhu hotline. Our step-by-step guide on how to complain to BMET and try to get your money back. MigrateJobs has a similar guide for Indian job seekers reporting a fake overseas job agent.

A safer route: apply to the employer directly

For Australia and New Zealand, you do not always need a chain of agents: sponsoring employers look at your CV, certificates and experience. Our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide for Bangladeshi workers explains how sponsorship works from the employer's side.

If you are a machine operator or factory worker, the manufacturing jobs in Australia and New Zealand page lists current openings with sponsoring employers. A clear English CV does more for you than any village agent's promise: Build AI CV can help you lay out your Bangladesh and Gulf work history in the format employers there expect, and Talent Tabloid lets you show your skills and work history in a profile an employer can look through.

You still register with BMET, attend the Pre-departure Orientation and get emigration clearance before you fly, as an individual visa holder if no agency is involved.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to use a sub-agent of a recruiting agency in Bangladesh?

No, using a sub-agent is not a crime in itself for the worker. The 2023 amendment targets the sub-agent: a person who works as, or claims to be, a recruiting agent's sub-agent without registering under section 14A of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 faces 1 year's imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousand to 2 lakh taka.

How do I check whether a recruiting agency is licensed?

Search BMET's public list of recruiting agencies (RAIMS) for the agency's RL number or name. If the status is Expired, Cancelled or Suspended, do not pay, and ask your nearest DEMO if anything is unclear.

Can I pay the sub-agent and let them pass the money to the agency?

BMET tells workers to pay the agency only by cheque, pay order or bank draft. Cash handed to a village agent leaves no record in the agency's name, which makes a later complaint much harder.

What can I do if a dalal or sub-agent has already taken my money?

You can complain to BMET at no cost with a signed application and your evidence, or complain to the Government under section 41 of the 2013 Act. The Probashbandhu call centre on 16135, toll-free inside Bangladesh, can also guide you.

Do I need a Bangladeshi agency at all for a job in Australia or New Zealand?

Not always. Some workers find a sponsoring employer themselves and get BMET emigration clearance as an individual visa holder. Either way, Australian sponsors pay their own sponsorship costs, and New Zealand employers cannot charge you for a job.

Key takeaways

• Since 2023, a sub-agent must be registered under section 14A; working as one without registration means 1 year's imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousand to 2 lakh taka.
• Ask every village agent which licensed agency he works for, then check that agency's RL number and status on RAIMS yourself.
• Pay only the licensed agency, by cheque, pay order or bank draft, and keep every receipt.
• Nobody can sell you an Australian visa or charge you for a New Zealand job; if money has gone, complain to BMET and call 16135.

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