Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury on Sunday called for joint efforts with the United Kingdom to curb exploitation, irregular migration, and human trafficking, according to a ministry press release.

The minister made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke at his office in Dhaka. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to building a skilled workforce, ensuring safe and dignified employment abroad, and protecting the rights and welfare of migrant workers, the release said.

State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque and ministry secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed also attended the meeting.

According to the release, Chowdhury sought UK support in English language and technical and vocational training to prepare a globally competitive workforce suited to Britain's labour market needs.

He said British cooperation would be valuable in strengthening the country's existing technical training centres and the Institute of Marine Technology, as well as in "green skills" and "digital skills" training.

The minister also underlined the importance of continuing sustainable reintegration and rehabilitation of returnee migrant workers under the RAISE project, an initiative backed by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Bank.

He proposed forming a joint working group to implement bilateral discussions and oversee migration and skills development activities.

State Minister Nurul Haque said the country's training centres could be linked with British institutions to build a skilled workforce matching European labour market demand, adding that sending internationally certified workers abroad would encourage young people to pursue legal migration pathways.

High Commissioner Cooke expressed the UK's interest in working jointly with the Bangladesh government to develop a skilled workforce in line with international labour market demand, the release said.

She raised UK concerns over safe, regular, and cost-effective labour migration from Bangladesh and said her country was ready to deepen cooperation in improving the migration system, including support for implementing the Global Compact for Migration.

On irregular migration to Britain, Cooke said the UK government and public had taken a firm stance on asylum seekers, noting that Bangladesh was among the top five countries on the UK's asylum applicant list.

She said only a small number of recent applications had been approved, with the rest being deported to their home countries.

Rejected applicants who choose to return voluntarily are offered £3,000 in resettlement assistance, she said, adding that this benefit does not apply to those deported through legal proceedings.

Ryan Duncanson, counsellor for justice and home affairs at the British High Commission in Dhaka, and senior officials from the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry were also present at the meeting.