The request came when British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury called on State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Mohammad Quamrul Islam at the secretariat.

The minister also requested the high commissioner to take an initiative to relax the lengthy procedure of issuing visa for Bangladeshi citizens.

Law and order in Bangladesh and issues related to mutual benefit also came up for discussion, meeting sources said.

Choudhury assured the state minister of taking initiative to increase manpower recruitment from Bangladesh.

Quamrul Islam will leave Dhaka for a visit next week to four Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to explore the possibilities of increased manpower export there.