A separate unit has been implemented to prevent illegal immigration and steps have been taken to report the progress to the Parliament in three months.
The committee pointed out that the establishment of this unit can prevent the fraudulent activities that are done by going on tourist visas and then obtaining work visas, and instructed the relevant departments to implement this pilot project and give a report within three months.
In order to prevent illegal immigration, a ‘Safe Migration Promotion Unit’ (Safe Migration Promotion Unit) to be implemented as a three-month pilot program has been requested by the Parliamentary Special Committee to confirm gender equality and equality and the parties were instructed to report its recommendations to the Parliament.
The following instructions were given when the said committee met under the chairmanship of (Dr.) Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Member of Parliament. Many officials from the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Justice participated in this event.
The meeting was convened to review the actions taken in November 2022 on human trafficking reported in Oman.
It was also discussed here that this unit could be implemented through a special task force consisting of the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense.
The committee also requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take steps to reinstate the previously suspended No Objection Certificate system to protect innocent workers from fake agents who take them on tourist visas and offer them jobs in Oman.
The officials of the ministry pointed out that they have already discussed this with the Omani government and steps are being taken to speed it up.
The Parliamentary Special Committee also instructed the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Employment to look into the possibility of implementing the affidavit petition system in Sri Lanka, which is already implemented in the Philippines.
The officials pointed out here that the amendments to the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau Act are expected to be adopted promptly and that the regulation of sub-agents and intermediaries is expected to be done accordingly.
Also, the Special Committee advised the Foreign Employment Bureau to raise awareness at the divisional secretariat level regarding the fraudulent activities carried out by fake foreign employment agencies when leaving for foreign employment.