Former Labour and Foreign Employment Minister defends E-8 visa program

Tuesday, 26 November 2024 02:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara

Former Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara yesterday responded to allegations and defended his efforts to establish the E-8 visa program.

He emphasised that it was intended to create employment opportunities for Sri Lankans. “I personally went and requested these people to provide us with this E-8 visa category. Accordingly, they made arrangements to provide this E-8 visa category to Sri Lanka as well,” he explained. Nanayakkara’s response comes following accusations raised by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) yesterday.

He attributed delays in implementing the program to internal disruptions at the SLBFE, particularly in the weeks leading up to elections. “Due to the behaviour and actions of certain officers of the Bureau, it was finally not implemented. It can be implemented even now. If implemented, it is an opportunity to obtain thousands of new jobs,” he said.

Nanayakkara urged the current administration to revive the scheme, arguing that it could benefit citizens across the country regardless of political affiliation. “We tell the Government and the Prime Minister – don’t lose this. It is not the people I chose politically; there are people all over Sri Lanka. Give anyone the opportunity to go abroad,” he appealed.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.