Cabinet nod to formulate new visa laws

Thursday, 17 May 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Immigration and Emigration Controller General M. N. Ranasinghe yesterday said that Cabinet had given approval for the formulation of a new visa law, which would allow for new categories to be added to the visa process and also address concerns of people movement.

Responding to a question during Prof. Hausmann’s talk, Ranasinghe noted that the Cabinet paper had been approved recently, and acknowledged that it was essential to update Sri Lanka’s immigration laws to deal with current challenges.

“Right now, we are working according to a law that was introduced in 1948. So there is a grave need to update the laws and provide a new framework for dealing with immigration challenges,” he said.

The new approvals had also given the Controller General and other top officials of the Immigration and Emigration Department greater autonomy in decision making, he added. Ranasinghe noted that the Department was focusing on establishing comprehensive polices and systems for different visa categories, including working visas, as none existed at the present time giving clear requirements.

The International Trade and Development Strategies Ministry would also present a Cabinet paper in the next two weeks, to allow local professional organisations to coordinate on cross-checking qualifications of their foreign counterparts that apply for work visas. These measures were taken after consultations with different local professional associations and organisations, the official said.