SL to ink MoU with South Korea’s Yeongwol Local Government to deploy seasonal workers on E-8 visas

Thursday, 3 July 2025 04:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday (1) approved signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Yeongwol Local Government Institution of the Republic of Korea to send seasonal workers under South Korea’s E-8 visa category.

Clearance for the agreement was obtained from the Attorney General, paving the way for the implementation of the pilot program.

Through the proposed MoU, Sri Lankans will be given opportunities to serve in the agricultural and fisheries villages in the Yeongwol County of the Republic of Korea for about 5-8 months under the seasonal worker employment program.

“This is a very valuable opportunity. With the Yeongwol Local Government Institution now granting its approval, we hope others will follow, consider our proposal, and unlock additional opportunities. This has great potential to strengthen our foreign remittance inflows,” Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said at the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday.

The initiative, which was initially approved at the Cabinet meeting held on 19 February 2025, aims to facilitate the deployment of Sri Lankan labourers under Korea’s E-8 visa category for seasonal workers. Following diplomatic discussions with interested Local Governments in Korea, the Yeongwol Local Government Institution has been identified as a partner for the proposed arrangement.

“Due to the misconduct of the former Minister, there was a real risk of losing it. We had several rounds of negotiations to convince and rebuild the tarnished image of our country first. That is why the process took longer than expected,” he claimed.

Dr. Jayatissa noted that this pilot initiative aims to facilitate the legal deployment of Sri Lankan workers to South Korea, while addressing longstanding concerns around overstays seen in previous E-8 visa arrangements.

He stressed the importance of workers adhering to visa regulations, warning that previous instances of overstaying had resulted in reduced quotas for Sri Lankan workers.

The Cabinet Spokesman also raised concerns over the involvement of the former Foreign Employment Minister, alleging him of unlawfully facilitating the E-8 visa agreement without Cabinet approval or proper Government authorisation.

Dr. Jayatissa clarified that no private agency in Sri Lanka is authorised to send workers to South Korea under the E-8 visa system.

The proposal to this effect, presented by Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

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