RIYADH, 26 January 2004 — Under a new regulation, Sri Lankans in the Kingdom can now renew their registration with the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) at the country’s embassy here or the consulate in Jeddah.
It is a statutory requirement for all Lankans working abroad to register with the SLBFE before they leave for foreign employment, Sri Lankan Ambassador Ibrahim Sahib Ansar told Arab News.
In the past, he said, the registration which was valid for two years could only be renewed in Colombo. Those who failed to renew their registration in Colombo were denied boarding at Colombo Airport.
Some 350,000 Sri Lankan workers are in the Kingdom.
Those who receive a salary of less than SR400 a month will pay a registration fee of SR95, while those whose salaries exceed SR400 a month will pay SR135 for their registration renewal.
Registrants are entitled to benefits from the SLBFE including personal loans, housing loans, scholarships and medical facilities for their children and self-employment schemes on their final return to Sri Lanka. In the event of death, the workers’ families are paid compensation of SR12,000 and the remains repatriated free of charge. In the event of permanent disability, the worker will be paid SR8,000.
Asked about the new regulation, S.K. Subramaniam president of the Sri Lankan Expatriate Society (SLES), said this was good news to all workers in the Kingdom, adding that in consideration of overseas workers’ foreign remittances, the government has launched this to help them.
Saifudeen Thassim, assistant manager of the Samba Financial Group and a prominent member of the Lankan community, said: “The new service will not only help Sri Lankan expatriates renew their registration but it will also encourage those not registered with the SLBFE.”