Ban on travelling overseas under tourist visa and finding jobs

• The minister also took action yesterday to suspend people who are applying for domestic and unskilled jobs through the SLBFE registered employment agents

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama

The Foreign Employment Ministry is to take every possible action to prevent all attempts to travel abroad for work under tourist visas.

Addressing the media, Minister Manusha Nanayakkara advised the ministry officials to take action to send women abroad for all jobs, especially to countries such as the UAE and Oman under a work visa.

“The ministry has been notified by the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment about women travelling on tourist visas with the hope of finding jobs in the UAE, and they are stranded without being able to find any jobs and instead become victims of various types of harassments, imprisonment and getting lost,” the minister said.

Therefore, the minister took this decision to prevent all such attempts to go abroad to work on tourist visas.
Meanwhile, the minister also took action yesterday to suspend people who are applying for domestic and unskilled jobs through the SLBFE registered employment agents.

Also, the minister had instructed the officers at the SLBFE unit established in the airport to closely monitor the women who are travelling overseas seeking jobs in the above-mentioned countries under Tourist visas.
If the SLBFE officials could confirm that the men and women applying for jobs through fake documents, legal action will be taken against such people through the bureau, the minister added.

The SLFEB advises all Sri Lankans about the importance of travelling abroad through legal channels, especially for those seeking foreign employment.

•  the minister had instructed the officers at the SLBFE unit established in the airport to closely monitor the women who are travelling overseas