Prothom Alo :

Hassan Imam Shaon: The pre-decision stage is the first of the four stages of labour migration- pre-decision, pre-departure, post-arrival and return & reintegration. This stage begins when a person is considering whether to migrate for work but has not yet made a final decision.

At this point, an aspirant migrant needs complete and accurate information to decide responsibly. This includes information about the destination country, type of job, salary and benefits, migration procedures, costs involved, and the overall advantages or risks of migrating. When migrants receive correct information from reliable sources, such as one-to-one counseling or pre-decision orientation, they can make an informed decision.

To support this, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has developed the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP), which provides guidance for all four migration stages. Under CIOP, the Pre-Employment Orientation (PEO) guideline helps countries design Pre-Decision Making Orientation (PDMO) programmes. These programmes ensure that potential migrants understand all key aspects of migration before deciding to go abroad.