Overseas jobseekers from Bangladesh yesterday started availing themselves of smart cards, a device that eases immigration process and help the government effectively assist the migrant workers.

“A Dubai-bound worker boarding on BG-027, a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, was the first user,” said an official of the Welfare Desk of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) posted at Zia Internaional Airport in the capital.

“When a jobseeker shows the card, we punch it on the card reader and the embarkation card is automatically filled up. It's easy,” the official told The Daily Star yesterday evening. The card contains all the information furnished in the passport, a jobseeker's fingerprints and the name and licence number of the recruiting agency so that the authorities can identify all the parties involved in the migration process and take prompt actions.

BMET started providing such cards to the jobseekers from Sunday, according to its Director Dr Nurul Islam. It is on experimental basis, he said, hinting at a change in a week if flaws detected. Around 100 smart cards were issued on the day, while the number reached 500 yesterday.

From now on possessing such cards is mandatory for the migrant workers, the BMET director further said.