Bangladesh international labour and migration policy

Bangladesh is actively engaging in international efforts to manage labour mobility and combat irregular migration. The government is pursuing bilateral agreements to export skilled manpower, such as an arrangement with Greece to allow up to 4,000 workers annually, though visa-issuance hurdles have limited actual arrivals. Additionally, Montenegro is exploring a government-to-government arrangement to recruit over 50,000 skilled workers per year in sectors including tourism, construction, and medical care.

Parallel to these mobility efforts, Bangladesh is strengthening cooperation with the European Union and the United Kingdom to address human trafficking and organized immigration crime. In discussions with the EU, Bangladesh reaffirmed a “zero-tolerance” policy toward illegal migration and highlighted the Talent Partnership project, which seeks to facilitate legal migration through internationally recognized certification for workers. Recent bilateral meetings between Bangladeshi officials and EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner have solidified collaboration on this project, aiming to expand opportunities in IT, construction, textiles, and hospitality.

Simultaneously, a new framework with the United Kingdom has been established to tackle organized immigration crime, focusing on information sharing and operational cooperation to disrupt fraudulent migration schemes and criminal networks.

Expanding its reach in Asia, Bangladesh is also seeking enhanced labor cooperation with South Korea. State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Hoque has engaged in discussions with the National Employment Services Association of Korea (NESA) and the Construction Association of Korea (CAK). These talks focus on the Employment Permit System (EPS), seasonal employment, and vocational training, with an emphasis on Korean language education to meet specific market demands.