News
Five-year visas for resident foreigners under new amendment
by Saman Indrajith
The Consultative Committee on Defence has given its nod to amend the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No. 20 of 1948 to increase the current visa issuance period for foreigners from two to five years, parliamentary sources said.
The decision was made during the Defence Ministry Consultative Committee meeting held at the parliamentary complex on Wednesday (22).
Accordingly the committee decided to permit the presenting of Immigrants and Emigrants (Amendment) Bill to Parliament for a second reading.
The Consultative Committee on Defence met on Wednesday with State Minister of National Security and Disaster Management Chamal Rajapaksa (in the chair) and attended by MPs Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Pradeep Undugoda, Charles Nirmalanathan and Tiran Allas.
Officials including the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration U.V. Sarath Rupasiri joined the committee meeting via zoom.
Controller General Rupasiri said that the Section 14 of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No. 20 of 1948 would be amended to increase the current visa issuance period from two to five years for foreigners to encourage foreign investments. The period for which visas can be granted with the approval of the Minister, would be further increased from five to ten years.
He said that these amendments will introduce a Permanent Resident Visa status and the relevant regulations will be formulated in the future.
Rupasiri said the issuance of long-term visas has a number of socio-economic benefits, including providing a safer environment for foreign investors to invest in businesses.
The Ambassador of Indonesia to Sri LankaDewi Gustina Tobing, met Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the Parliament of Sri Lanka to discuss strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations.
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in trade, tourism, technology, and education, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to fostering diplomatic and economic ties for mutual benefit.
A key area of focus was expanding tourism exchanges, including religious tourism, which holds significant potential for growth.
The two delegations also explored opportunities in trade, particularly the importation of palm oil and the introduction of organic liquid fertilizers to support Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector.
Collaboration in the IT industry was highlighted as another promising area of partnership, alongside discussions on integrating electric vehicles into Sri Lanka’s public transport system.
The Sri Lankan delegation, led by Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mrs. Sagarika Boghawatta, included officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Indonesian delegation was represented by Deputy Ambassador . Fiki Oktanioand Minister Counsellor Mrs. Lailal K. Yuniarti.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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