Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Greece are working jointly on this plan. Preliminary discussions are underway with potential host countries including Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, Benin, Mauritania and Uzbekistan in Asia. However, no formal agreement has been reached with any country yet.
Expatriates
Five European countries want to send Bangladeshi asylum seekers to Africa
According to relevant sources, this initiative has been taken based on the proposed new ‘Return Regulation’ of the European Commission. The proposed law provides for the establishment of return hubs outside the EU under specific conditions. Under this, those whose asylum applications are finally rejected and who cannot be immediately sent back to their home countries will be temporarily held in these centers. Later, repatriation will be completed in coordination with the concerned country.
Greece has said that necessary agreements with third countries could be completed within this year. In that case, the return hubs could become operational from next year.
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A relevant source of the Bangladesh government said the government has not yet received any formal communication or proposal on this matter. This is because the issue is still at the policy level and discussion is ongoing in the European Parliament. There are also differences of opinion among member states on this issue.
Several officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have said that this may not apply only to Bangladesh; rather, it could apply to all countries whose citizens' asylum applications are rejected.
A senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the rate of acceptance of asylum applications from Bangladeshis in Europe is relatively very low. Currently, the recognition rate in the first instance is about 3 to 4 percent. If the new return policy becomes effective, the processing of asylum applications from Bangladeshis may become faster than before in the future.
According to the proposed policy, new asylum applications will be processed within approximately 12 weeks. For applications that are not accepted, a fast-track repatriation process will be initiated.
The European Union Agency for Asylum's (EUAA) ‘Latest Asylum Trends 2025’ report stated that in 2025, Bangladesh was in fourth place on the list of countries of origin of asylum seekers in the EU. In that year, 36,901 asylum applications were lodged by Bangladeshi nationals. Of these, 35,245 were first-time applications. In the same period, the acceptance rate for Bangladeshi asylum applications in the first instance was only 3 percent.
State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md. Nurul Haque said no such formal decision or communication has yet reached the government. He emphasized going abroad through legal channels and discouraging irregular migration.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations and experts have expressed concern over the plan. Professor Dr. Tasnim Siddiqui, founding chair of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), said the initiative to send asylum seekers to third countries to facilitate repatriation risks conflicting with international human rights principles. According to him, such a system may limit asylum seekers' access to legal protection, mental health services, and judicial remedies.