Bangladesh will pursue the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift current restriction on work permit and issue employment visa for local labour force, officials said on Monday.
The country will also request the UAE for duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market access of products to the Gulf nation, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials added.
Bangladeshi officials will sit with the UAE officials in a Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting in Dhaka on November 15 to settle different issues regarding bilateral cooperation.
Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal will lead the Bangladesh delegation, while State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Ali Al Sayeh will head the UAE side.
A senior ERD official said: "We will request the UAE for lifting restriction on Ordinary Labour Work Permit. Bangladeshi workers do not get work permit now. They need to go to the country with visit visa first, and then join work there with another permission."
So, Dhaka will request Abu Dhabi to lift the current restriction, and issue employment visa for all types of Bangladeshi workforce, he added.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), the UAE has recruited some 2.37 million Bangladeshi workers till this September.
The UAE is one of the key destinations for Bangladeshi workers, as thousands of non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) are working there and sending a significant amount of money every year.
In April last, the NRBs in the UAE sent US$182 million worth of remittance to Bangladesh, the BMET data showed.
The ERD official said they would also request Abu Dhabi in the upcoming JEC meeting to recruit some skilled and semi-skilled manpower, like - doctors, nurses and IT professionals, for expanding bilateral cooperation and facilitating technology transfer.
Besides, Dhaka would request the Gulf nation to boost its investment in Bangladesh.
The UAE can invest through public private partnership (PPP) system, as some companies in energy and construction sectors there are world famous, he added.
Dhaka will also urge Abu Dhabi for cooperating Bangladesh to facilitate air passenger and cargo services.
"We will also request the gulf nation to sign a deal, so that both the countries can share some revenue-related information," another ERD official said.
Since the country's Eastern Refinery-2 is ready for production, Dhaka will request the UAE to supply more crude oil to Bangladesh for expanding its fuel oil distribution capacity to customers.
"We will also seek financial support for some pipeline projects including the government-owned hotels and motels, multi-purpose river-port at Gazaria, and pharmaceutical sector," the ERD official added.
