Govt. to streamline procedure to get skilled personnel

By Charumini de Silva

The Government on Thursday said it would streamline the procedure to bring down skilled personnel to uplift the export sectors of the economy, a top Minister revealed.

State Finance Minister Eran Wickramaratne said the Government had proposed to give the discretion to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration Department. 

Responding to an issue raised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Chief Economist Anushka Wijesinha at Advocata Economic Freedom Forum yesterday in Colombo, the State Minister said: “He (Controller of Immigration and Emigration Department) will be soon getting the power to make that decision. I inquired on the matter and it may need Cabinet approval.”

According to Wijesinha, at a recent meeting held with the ICT export sector stakeholders and the Finance Ministry, it was pointed out thatto bring down skilled personnel to the country requires a time-consuming long procedure involving approval from multiple institutes. 

Thereby Wickramaratne said to a suggestion by the industry, the Government had decided to vest the power with the Controller of Immigration and Emigration Department to issue working visas for those skilled personnel. – Pix by Lasantha Kumara

“Annually, the industry will decide what skill set they need and give a list to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration, which will also be reviewed time to time depending on the needs of the economy,” he added.

Noting that the professional bodies were against any relaxation of rules, especially from doctors, lawyers, and engineers, he said the Government realised the protectionist steps taken by them and understood the need for standards.