Some skilled workers may go to Italy at no cost if they pass language and skills tests: Mahdi Amin

Some workers may get the opportunity to go to Italy at no cost if they can pass tests in language and related skills, said Mahdi Amin, adviser to the prime minister on expatriate welfare and labour and employment.

Mahdi Amin made the remarks on Tuesday at a seminar titled “Language, civic and professional training for skilled migration to Italy”, jointly organised at a hotel in the capital by the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka and its international partner organisations.

Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Antonio Alessandro, European Union Ambassador Michael Miller and Dr Laura Thom Bond, chief of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh, also spoke at the seminar.

In his speech as chief guest, Mahdi Amin said ensuring skilled, orderly and low-cost foreign employment is part of the specific vision of the newly elected government.

He also said the government would cooperate through BOESL and other government institutions for skilled workers going to Italy. Giving expatriate cards to workers before they go abroad is also under consideration, he said.

At present, about 250,000 Bangladeshis are legally living in Italy. In 2025, they sent $1.7 billion in remittances, the seminar was told.

Recalling the contribution of more than 250,000 Bangladeshis living in Italy, Mahdi Amin said migration has always played the biggest role in building bridges between the peoples of the two countries, alongside culture, education and healthcare.

He said the role of Bangladeshi expatriates in advancing Italian society and its mainstream economy is undeniable, just as the remittances they send are one of the main driving forces of the Bangladesh economy.