Last week, his Saudi counterpart, Labour Minister Adel Fakeih, announced that the kingdom will soon resume recruiting Bangladesh workers by lifting a ban imposed in 2008.
Bangladesh workers registered to travel to Malaysia will also be eligible for going to Saudi Arabia, the minister said at a press conference on Sunday.
He has recently returned from Saudi Arabia after holding high-level talks.
The kingdom is in mourning for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who died on Friday, so it might take a few days before the ban is formally lifted, said Hossain.
“Practically, workers won’t have to spend much to go to Saudi Arabia. The employer will bear the cost of levy, visa, travel and medical coverage.”
“It should not cost more than Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 to go there. This would be needed for making passports and other documents. They might also have to pay recruiting agencies.”
“A team of Saudi representatives, including technical experts, will visit Bangladesh soon. Everything will be finalised at that time," said the minister.
“We have agreed to form a joint advisory committee with members from both sides to ensure workers’ welfare and transparency in their recruitment process.”
The minister was hopeful that costs for workers going to work abroad will also come down once Saudi Arabia resumes manpower imports from Bangladesh.