Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) has reduced the security deposit requirement for recruiting agencies sending workers abroad from Tk 50 lakh to Tk 35 lakh.

Reduction comes through amendments to the Overseas Employment and Migrants (Recruiting Agent License and Sub-Agent Registration and Conduct) Rules, 2025. Gazette notification regarding the changes was published on Monday.

Recruiting agencies must still submit the deposit through pay order to obtain licenses for overseas worker recruitment. New amount represents a 30% reduction from the previous requirement.

Amended rules introduce ‘associate recruiter’ designation for collaborative arrangements between recruiting agencies. Associate recruiter is defined as a registered recruiting agent who recruits overseas-bound workers through written agreements with another registered agent, completing recruitment processes on that agent's behalf.

Under new provisions, recruiting agents may appoint other registered agents as associate recruiters to process overseas employment. Associate recruiters must maintain contracts with overseas-bound workers and carry credit and responsibilities for manpower export identical to principal agents.

For license renewal purposes, workers processed by associate recruiters will count toward their own credit, while workers sent independently by principal agents will count separately. This distinction allows both parties to maintain independent performance records.

Changes aim to streamline recruitment processes while maintaining regulatory oversight of Bangladesh's overseas employment sector. Bangladesh sends approximately 10 lakh workers abroad annually, contributing significantly to remittance inflows.

Ministry has not specified whether existing agencies with Tk 50 lakh deposits can reclaim the Tk 15 lakh difference.