By The Pulseline News Desk
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has proposed a new initiative to strengthen ties with Sri Lankans living overseas and their descendants, introducing a programme titled “Global Sri Lankan Heritage Citizen” targeting second and third-generation members of the diaspora.
Presenting the 2027 Budget in Parliament, President Dissanayake said Sri Lanka needed a new approach to harness the knowledge, skills, professional experience and enduring connections to the country maintained by overseas Sri Lankans and their descendants.
The proposed programme is aimed at encouraging younger generations of Sri Lankan origin living abroad to maintain closer links with their ancestral homeland and contribute to the country’s development.
As part of the initiative, the Government has proposed granting dual citizenship free of charge to the spouses and children of applicants seeking dual citizenship.
The concession will also be extended to third-generation children of Sri Lankan origin living overseas, broadening access to dual citizenship beyond the immediate families of Sri Lankan expatriates.
The initiative reflects the Government’s intention to engage more actively with the Sri Lankan diaspora, particularly younger generations who may have been born and raised overseas but retain links to the country through their families and heritage.
The Government expects the programme to help mobilise the diaspora’s professional expertise, international experience and networks while strengthening their social, economic and cultural connections with Sri Lanka.
The proposal forms part of the broader efforts outlined in the 2027 Budget to attract investment, expand economic opportunities and draw on Sri Lanka’s overseas human resources to support national development.
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