2nd phase application deadline ends today, 37pc hajj pilgrims still not get visas

Though most of the hajj pilgrims have yet to get visas, the extended application deadline for the second phase ends on Saturday (May 11).

But still, 37 per cent of hajj pilgrims do not have visa.

According to the IT Help Desk’s daily bulletin, visas have been issued to a total of 53,899 hajj pilgrims so far, out of 85,257 pilgrims who are set to perform hajj this year.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Hajj agency hope that the visas for most of the pilgrims will be completed today (May 11). If little remains, there will be time to do it in a day or two.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religious Affairs instructed to complete visa issuance to hajj pilgrims by April 29. Later, the time was extended till May 7. The last visa application deadline has been extended to May 11.

Meanwhile, operation of this year’s hajj flight started on Thursday (May 9) amid this uncertainty.

This year, 85,257 Bangladeshis are set to go to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. Of them, Biman will carry 42,629, while the rest of the passengers will be carried by the two airlines of Saudi Arabia.