The ban on hiring new workers from Bangladesh in Palau has been lifted under Executive Order No. 478.
In 2009, EO 274 prohibited persons from Excluded Countries, including Bangladesh, from entering Palau without a visa.
In 2019, EO 428 modified EO 274, giving Bangladeshi nationals in Palau an amnesty, allowing those who overstayed their visas to register with Immigration without fear of deportation.
The EO further allowed the hiring of new workers from Bangladesh, but only to those employers that were replacing departing Bangladesh workers. The EO ensured that number of Bangladeshi nationals in Palau remained at the same level as in 2009.
The EO 478 states that several requests have been received from the community, citing a shortage of available workers to meet employment demand.
During a meeting with contractors and the Senate Labor and Employment, contractors expressed frustrations in obtaining employees to meet the work demand. One such contractor cited the difficulty in getting employees from the Philippines and urged the Senate Committee to do something to help them.
Presidential Executive Order 478 lifts the ban and allows employers to seek workers from Bangladesh, especially in construction and manual labor. The EO 478 still maintains that a Bangladeshi national must have a visa prior to arrival in Palau.
