At the Immigration Department, a special counter was established to expedite the issuance of passports for employees departing for jobs overseas.
Following negotiations last week with representatives of the Immigration and Emigration Department and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Minister of Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara gave her approval for the opening of a new special counter.
It was decided to open the counter for all Sri Lankans wishing to travel abroad for employment yesterday based on the data collected during the test operations.
The Minister was informed of the challenges experienced by Sri Lankans trying to get passports for international employment as a result of the frequent requests for passport issue, which led to the opening of the special counter.
Therefore, applicants who have finished the initial application process and have the employment letter from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment can get their passports quickly by presenting the document at the designated counter.