Sri Lankan government plans to award dual citizenship to 10, 000 expatriates

Sat, Feb 6, 2016, 01:16 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Feb 06, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government plans to grant dual citizenship to nearly 10,000 expatriates, Minister of Internal Affairs S.B. Nawinna said.

Minister Nawinna made this disclosure at a ceremony held for the presentation of dual citizenship to 1,000 Sri Lankans expatriates at the BMICH in Colombo.

The function was jointly organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Northwestern Development and Cultural Affairs and the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

The strategy of awarding dual citizenship in Sri Lanka was launched in the year 1987. More than 40,000 are now enjoying dual citizenship. It was further revealed at this function that 3,130 from several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Italy had been granted dual citizenship.

The government resumed granting dual citizenship to expatriate Sri Lankan nationals on 30 April 2015 after a lapse of four years.

The previous Government temporarily suspended granting dual citizenship in February 2011in order to draft a new stringent criterion to select eligible applicants.