Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said Friday that Malaysia’s labour market for Bangladeshi workers is set to reopen soon through what it described as a transparent process. The ministry said ministerial meetings between the two countries, as well as discussions during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first foreign visit with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, helped create the prospect of reopening the market.

Malaysia has agreed in principle, at Bangladesh’s request, to take 10,000 workers free of all migration costs under a “zero cost” arrangement. The first group will be sent by a special chartered flight through the state agency Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited, or BOESL. Malaysia has directly selected 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies and will allow another 312 agencies to work as associate recruitment agencies, alongside BOESL.

The ministry said the worker-sending process remains under preparation and details will be announced later. It urged people not to make payments, undergo medical tests or submit passports before an official notice. Operations will initially use 16 medical centres, while a Malaysian delegation will later review centres under a new policy.