serves as the focal point for coordination with all pertinent parties to ensure that overseas Sri Lankans receive timely, efficient services and to open doors for their support as important participants in Sri Lanka’s development and reconciliation.
Over 3 million peoples are regarded to be our clients, and their lineage to Sri Lanka as Sri Lankan citizens residing and working overseas or Sri Lankan citizens naturalized in a host country or the decedents of Sri Lankans is considered to be an asset.
On behalf of the Office for Overseas Sri Lankan Affairs (OOSLA), I extend a warm welcome to our fellow Sri Lankans living abroad. As Director General, I am honoured to lead this newly established agency dedicated to fostering a stronger connection between the Sri Lankan diaspora and their homeland.
At OOSLA, we recognize the invaluable contributions of Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) to our nation’s socio-economic development. Your expertise, experience, and unwavering support have played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s growth and prosperity.
We are committed to fostering a trusted alliance with Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) in Sri Lanka to facilitate meaningful engagement. We actively collaborate with 23 Government Stakeholders and our diplomatic missions abroad to address your concerns and interests, forging enduring partnerships that empower you as true partners in Sri Lanka’s progress.
OOSLA’s mission extends beyond financial support. We recognize the wealth of knowledge, skills, and networks that OSLs bring to the table. We are committed to promoting trade and investment opportunities, fostering educational partnerships, facilitating knowledge sharing, supporting philanthropic endeavours, and addressing consular queries.
To further strengthen our engagement with OSLs, we have drafted a bill and initiated discussions on a national policy. This initiative aims to establish a lasting institutional framework that ensures OSLs have a permanent voice in Sri Lanka’s development agenda.
Our website serves as a unique platform for OSLs to reconnect with their motherland and express their desire to be proactive partners in our nation’s progress. We invite you to join us on this transformative journey and become an integral part of OOSLA’s mission for fruitful engagement.
Your individual and collective efforts will undoubtedly benefit not only our OSL community but also contribute to the prosperity of our nation as a whole. We welcome you aboard!
Together, let us embark on a journey of shared prosperity for Sri Lanka and its OSL community.
There had been efforts in the past to engage with the Sri Lankans overseas, most notably, during times of emergencies both natural and conflict related, the Overseas Sri Lankan have been extensively involved to rebuild, empower the local communities. At best, these activities were time-bound projects and did not result in developing a long-lasting institutional mechanism to sustain the engagement with the overseas populations. While acknowledging that engagement of OSLs has not been a new initiative, the setting up of a dedicated institutional mechanism for Overseas Sri Lankans to engage with their country of origin is an innovative step in the right direction. The Office for Overseas Sri Lankan Affairs (OOSLA) will be empowered through the necessary legislative and policy frameworks to last long as a dynamic, and user-friendly gateway to enhance connectivity with Sri Lanka.
The OOSLA will
In this context, OOSLA will act as a central location for the Government of Sri Lanka and OSLs who want to stay connected, strengthen their connection, or get back in touch with their roots to engage in mutually beneficial ways.
To establish the most dynamic single stop institutional gateway for the overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) that facilitates efficient delivery of services and access to all useful information, and to help nurturing a trusted relationship with OSLs as partners in Sri Lanka's progress and reconciliation.
Engage overseas Sri Lankans as key partners of Sri Lanka’s progress in the global context and reconciliation.
To position as a dynamic facilitator for mutually beneficial engagement between Sri Lanka and OSLs in multiple ways;