Bangladesh requests Malaysia to relax three of its 10 conditions for recruiting agencies

The Bangladesh government has requested Malaysia to relax at least three of the 10 conditions imposed on recruiting agencies interested in sending workers to Malaysia.

The request was made in a letter sent on 4 November by Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, to the Malaysian government.

According to Sawqat Ali, personal secretary to the adviser, Bangladesh has sought relaxation from the conditions of recruiting agencies having handled at least 3,000 foreign workers in the past five years, owning a training centre, and maintaining a permanent office space of at least 10,000 square feet for the past three years.

The ministry has also requested Malaysia to extend the deadline for submitting the list of recruiting agencies.

Earlier, on 28 October 2025, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, asking it to submit by 15 November a list of Bangladeshi agencies eligible to send workers, based on 10 mandatory criteria.

These criteria include at least five years of valid licence, experience in sending workers to three different countries, possession of a good conduct certificate, and a clean record with no involvement in forced labour or human trafficking. 

According to the expatriates' welfare ministry, agencies from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Myanmar will be selected based on these unified standards.