An embassy e-file, in the everyday language of a Bangladeshi recruiting agency, is a batch of passengers submitted to an embassy together, under one RL and one submission date, with a send list on top and each passenger's own sheets behind it. New staff hear the word on their first day; this is the explanation they usually have to piece together over a month.
Why passengers travel in batches
An embassy does not take passports one at a time across the counter all day. The agency prepares a set of files, lists them, and submits them together. That list is what the counter checks first, and it is what comes back if something is wrong.
So an e-file is really two things:
- The batch — which passengers, under which recruiting licence, on which day.
- The paperwork — the send list for the whole batch, plus the documents for each passenger in it.
What goes into one
The exact set of documents depends on the destination country and on what the embassy currently requires, so always confirm with the embassy or its current instructions. Broadly, an e-file carries:
- A send list naming every passenger in the batch, with identifying numbers such as passport and visa numbers.
- For each passenger, the embassy's own forms, filled in from their record.
- The passports themselves and any supporting documents the embassy asks for.
For some destinations the forms are in Arabic, which brings its own printing problems: the text must join correctly and run right to left, or the sheet is unreadable.
Why the order inside the batch matters
The send list has an order, and the passports and sheets should follow it. When the counter works through a batch, a mismatch between the list and the stack in hand costs time and can send the file back. Agencies that get this right usually fix the order once, on the list, and print everything else from it.
What makes a passenger ready for an e-file
A passenger should only join a batch when their record is complete and every date that matters is still valid. Typical checks include:
- the passport has enough validity left for the destination's requirement
- the medical is still within its validity window
- the police clearance is current, where required
- the passenger's age falls within what the employer or destination allows
- the name is spelled identically on the passport, visa and every other document
Each of these is a reason a file comes back. Checking them before the batch is built is cheaper than discovering them at the counter.
What happens after submission
Once the embassy has processed a batch, each passenger moves on: typically to the manpower stage for BMET clearance, and then to delivery, where the passport is handed back to the passenger or their agent. A passenger whose file is called off is cancelled, and the record should keep that history rather than vanish.
Knowing which of these stages a file is in is the question the counter is asked all day.
A few words new staff will hear
- RL — the recruiting licence the batch is filed under.
- Send list — the list of passengers on top of the batch.
- Visa number — the number of the visa issued for that worker, printed on the send list.
- Batch date — the day the e-file is submitted.
How EmbassyFile handles e-files
In EmbassyFile you build an e-file by scanning passport numbers into a batch under an RL and a date, then dragging the rows into the order they will be submitted. Each passenger is checked against your eligibility rules before they can join. For Saudi Arabia, the send list and each passenger's four-sheet set are printed from the browser so the Arabic shapes and reads correctly, and you can reprint one passenger's sheets without reprinting the whole batch.
Key points
- An e-file is a batch of passengers submitted together, plus its paperwork.
- The send list sets the order; everything else should follow it.
- Check eligibility before a passenger joins the batch, not after it returns.
- Document requirements vary by embassy; always confirm the current ones.
Frequently asked questions
What is an e-file in a manpower agency?
It is a batch of passengers submitted to an embassy together, under one recruiting licence and date, with a send list and each passenger's forms. Staff use the word for both the batch and its paperwork.
Who decides what documents go in an embassy e-file?
The embassy of the destination country does. Requirements change, so confirm the current list with the embassy or its published instructions rather than relying on an old checklist.
Why do Arabic embassy forms sometimes print as separate letters?
Arabic letters change shape depending on their neighbours and run right to left. Some PDF software does neither, which produces disconnected letters; printing from a web browser usually renders them correctly.
What happens to a passenger after the e-file is processed?
They usually move on to manpower clearance with BMET and then to delivery, where the passport is handed back. Each stage should be recorded so anyone can tell where the file is.