4,226 Bangladeshi Women ‘Married’ to Travel to China

At least 4,226 Bangladeshi women travelled to China on family or Q-1 visas between 2020 and 2025, amid allegations that some women are being trafficked through fake marriages. The figure was presented at a workshop organised by Justice and Care Bangladesh with support from the British High Commission in Dhaka on Saturday. According to the data, 69 women travelled to China on Q-1 visas in 2020, seven in 2021, 35 in 2022, 1,160 in 2023, 1,378 in 2024 and 1,721 in 2025.

Officials said a proposed Standard Operating Procedure for stricter screening of marriages between Bangladeshi citizens and foreign nationals is under review by the Law Ministry.Additional Superintendent of Police (Immigration) Md Abu Noman said criminal gangs are exploiting existing procedures by using fake documents to obtain visas. Home Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Ziauddin Ahmed said such trafficking constitutes transnational organised crime and stressed the media’s role in raising awareness. Justice and Care Bangladesh Country Director Mohammad Tariqul Islam said the Human Trafficking Act passed this year has introduced a separate chapter on trafficking in the immigration process and strengthened the powers of relevant tribunals and investigators.