State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has expressed optimism that Bangladesh Consulate General in Toronto will be able to start e-passport service from mid-November this year.

He was interacting with the officials of the Bangladesh Consulate General during his visit to Toronto, Canada, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

The State Minister said the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) is working on it and necessary set-ups for e-passport could be installed earliest by mid-November in the Consulate General, while currently the Consulate is issuing machine readable passports (MRPs). 

He said the year 2021 is a significant year for Bangladesh as they are celebrating two historic events of birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangladesh’s Golden Jubilee of the Independence.

In this spirit, he urged the Consulate to keep the momentum in terms of consular service delivery, meeting the expectations of the diaspora and ensuring proper representation of the Consulate General in Toronto.

Consul General Nayem Uddin Ahmed briefed the State Minister about the digitized consular service system currently operationalized in the mission for rendering fastest and modern-day consular services.    

READ: e-Passport to brighten Bangladesh image: PM Hasina

The State Minister mentioned that Bangladesh and Canada enjoy excellent bilateral and business relations.

He stressed exploring new avenues of cooperation, particularly encouraging Bangladeshi students of different tiers -- from the middle class to upper middle class -- for admission to different colleges and universities in Canada.

READ: Bangladesh enters e-Passport era

The State Minister said Bangladesh is bilaterally taking all necessary steps to be included in the Students Direct Stream (SDS) of Canada.