10,000 Bangladeshi workers can go to Italy legally each year: Shahe Alam
Annual Legal Migration Channel to Italy Opens for 10,000 Bangladeshi Workers
Bdbusinessdaily.com – Italy has confirmed a formal pathway allowing up to 10,000 Bangladeshi workers each year to enter the country through legal channels, with the total figure rising to 12,000 once accompanying family members are included. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam disclosed the arrangement on 7 September, describing it as a significant opportunity for labour migrants who have historically relied on irregular sea routes to reach European shores.
The announcement came at the close of a meeting between Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan at the ministry secretariat in Dhaka. Md Shahidul Hasan, Secretary of the Local Government Division, was also present during the discussions.
A Legacy of Irregular Migration
The new arrangement addresses a long-standing problem. Roughly 250,000 Bangladeshis currently reside in Italy, and Shahe Alam noted that an estimated 60 to 70 percent of them hail from just two districts — Shariatpur and Madaripur — in the country's central region. Many of these migrants arrived without proper documentation, often travelling by sea through informal brokers, exposing themselves to considerable risk.
The state minister acknowledged that a substantial number of Bangladeshis in Italy remain in irregular status. However, he made clear that no discussion has taken place regarding regularising the position of those already living there illegally. Instead, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been directed to take action against brokers who continue to facilitate undocumented departures.
To curb the flow of irregular sea migration from the affected districts, a joint workshop has been proposed in Shariatpur, Madaripur, and Faridpur. Local administration officials and public representatives from these areas will participate, with the aim of informing communities about the newly available legal routes and reducing dependence on unverified intermediaries.
Skills, Language, and Architectural Exchange
Beyond the headline migration figure, the meeting produced several concrete cooperation commitments. Both governments agreed to expand skills training programmes for Bangladeshi workers, introduce structured language preparation, and deepen mutual cooperation in environmental management.
Italy has extended an invitation to train Bangladeshi architects within the country, with the objective of upgrading technical competencies. Shahe Alam explained that once a specific list of candidates is finalised, mayors and architects from city corporations will be dispatched on this professional visit. In a reciprocal gesture, Italy will dispatch representatives to teach the Italian language directly to Bangladeshi workers and trainers, reducing the linguistic barrier that often limits employment prospects abroad.
Food Waste and Urban Sustainability
A separate strand of the agreement concerns urban sustainability. Italy has agreed to collaborate with Bangladesh on food waste prevention and food security, using the operational model of Milan as a reference framework. Khulna City Corporation has been selected as the pilot site for this initiative, making it the first Bangladeshi municipal body to adopt an Italian-style food waste management approach.
Malaysian Recruitment Push
In a related labour-market development, Shahe Alam stated that the High Commissioner of Malaysia has been formally requested to facilitate the recruitment of 200,000 Bangladeshi workers for that country. This figure, if realised, would represent one of the largest single-country labour placement programmes in Bangladesh's recent history and would complement the Italian channel by diversifying destination markets.
Diplomatic Framing
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ambassador Alessandro characterised the encounter as a courtesy visit that nonetheless yielded substantive dialogue. He said the two sides discussed trade, migration policy, and the strengthening of friendly relations between cities of both nations, emphasising that the conversation was "fruitful" in identifying areas where Italy and Bangladesh can work together more closely.
"Both sides agreed to increase the skills of Bangladeshi workers, language training and mutual cooperation in environmental management," Shahe Alam told reporters.
The formalisation of an annual quota for legal migration marks a notable shift in how Bangladesh's labour diplomacy operates. Rather than reacting to irregular flows after they occur, the government is now embedding structured, bilateral agreements into its migration architecture — pairing destination-country commitments with domestic preparation, language instruction, and district-level outreach. For the families of Shariatpur and Madaripur, who have borne the human cost of undocumented sea crossings for decades, the practical question now is whether the administrative machinery can deliver the promised 10,000 slots reliably and transparently each year.
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