One day service at Passport Regional Offices

Dhammika Perera, Minister of Investment Promotion said that steps will be taken to open one day services at the Immigration and Emigration Department branches in several major cities and a new Immigration and Emigration office will be opened in Jafna

He also said that he hopes to start the Jaffna office at his own expense.

Mr. Perera said that due to the high demand for foreign employment in the country, a large number of applicants are queuing near passport offices and as a solution to this the one day service will be activated at the Matara, Kandy, Vavuniya and Kurunegala branches.

The Minister further stated that due to the high number of applicants applying online, the arrival date granted by the Immigration and Emigration Office will be extended by two to three months, thereby preventing the expatriate workers from leaving the country expeditiously.

He said that in the current situation, it was not possible to call for tenders to open new offices and that steps had already been taken to expedite the service by doing so with his own money.