The UK reiterated its commitment to maintain a high quality service for Bangladeshi nationals at the visa application centres in Dhaka and Sylhet.
The issue came up for discussions at the third Strategic Dialogue between the UK and Bangladesh held at state guesthouse Padma.
Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Md Shahidul Haque and British FCO Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Simon McDonald led the respective sides at the Strategic Dialogue.
Sir Simon highlighted that the number of visa applicants from Bangladesh is increasing year on year with an average approval rate of around 70 percent in 2018 -- up nearly 10 percent from 61 percent in 2016.
The UK welcomed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to take back its citizens who no longer have the right to remain in the UK, and appreciated the progress in this regard, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.
Bangladesh reiterated its request for additional annual Commonwealth, Chevening and other scholarships for its students. The UK noted the increase in Chevening allocation and agreed to consider further requests.
Bangladesh also highlighted the concerns of the British curry industry on the shortage of skilled workers and the proposed wage structure as part of the future immigration white paper, whilst recognising their significant contributions to the British economy.
It highlighted its efforts to improve performance against the World Bank’s “Doing Business Index” and both sides agreed that trade was an important enabler of development, and that increasing bilateral trade could bring significant benefits to both countries.
Bangladesh informed the UK that it will host a ‘Bangladesh Trade and Investment Expo’ in London in October or November.
The UK welcomed efforts in this regard to promote commercial links and investment flows between the two countries.
Both countries agreed to consider encouraging coordination between major chambers of commerce.
The UK and Bangladesh agreed that the Cricket World Cup in the UK would provide a good platform to celebrate the strong cultural, sporting and people-to-people links that bind the two countries.
Both sides also agreed to host events in Bangladesh and the UK in 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UK and Bangladesh.