The Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry has so far issued 111 electric vehicle import permits under its newly introduced program to allow Sri Lankan migrant workers to import an electric vehicle for remitting foreign exchange to the country through official and legal channels.
Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said the ministry had introduced many benefits for migrant workers who send foreign exchange to the country through legal remittance transfers banks or authorised money transfer agencies).
He said electric vehicle import permits had been issued to them since May last year as part of those benefits. Electric cars and motorcycles/scooters are eligible to be imported under this scheme, depending on the amounts of foreign exchange sent.
The country has received US $ 13.4 million following the introduction of the Migrant Worker Vehicle Permit program, said Minister Nanayakkara.
He said most vehicle permit recipients are those working in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. Expat workers have time until the end of September to get their permits in the first round. Only fully electric vehicles, not hybrids, can be imported under this scheme.
The amount of money sent to the country by the migrant workers so far in 2023 is US $ 2,300 million, at an average rate of US$ 400 million per month. This is a significant increase over the corresponding period last year.