RIYADH – The authorities in Saudi Arabia have reduced the rate of issuing Umrah visas for Bangladeshi Muslims.
The change comes under a quota system introduced this month but since the start of March, Saudi Arabia has approved only about 8%-10% of Umrah visas.
Farid Ahmed Mozumder, secretary general of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, has confirmed the development as reported by the Daily Sun. Interestingly, the change comes amid the holy month of Ramazan in which hundreds of thousands of Muslims head to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.As far as the reason for the sudden drop is concerned, there is apparently no reason though tour operators in Bangladesh have voiced concerns regarding the decline in issuance of Umrah visas.
Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi government is gearing up for finalizing the arrangements regarding the upcoming Hajj. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia has set the minimum age limit for Hajj pilgrims at 15 years for this year’s pilgrimage.
This year, Hajj is expected to take place between 4th June to the 9th June depending on the sighting of the moon.
