Dr Bilesha Weeraratne Discusses Impact of New UAE Visa Policies on Sri Lankan Migrants

9-11 July 2024

The UAE’s recent changes to relax visa policies now permit potential migrant workers to enter the country on visit visas, search for employment, and then convert to work visas. IPS Research Fellow Dr Bilesha Weeraratne highlighted that this modern and flexible approach has significantly transformed the recruitment process for labour migration, emphasising the importance of personal and informal networks.

Drawing on qualitative empirical evidence from Sri Lanka, Dr Weeraratne’s study explores how the new visit visa regime has impacted informal networks for foreign employment, the migration outcomes for workers and the role of protective mechanisms. The findings reveal that the visit visa scheme has made informal networks more essential and dependable for potential migrants, as their success heavily relies on the nuances of these informal connections.

Additionally, the visit visa scheme has introduced greater flexibility in the recruitment process, reduced time and financial costs, and provided more opportunities for potential migrants to secure employment overseas. Dr Weeraratne presented these insights in her presentation titled ‘Changes in UAE Visa Regulations and the Dynamics in Informal Networks in Migration: Evidence from Sri Lanka’ at the 14th Gulf Research Meeting (GRM), organised by the Gulf Research Centre, University of Cambridge.

However, Sri Lanka’s traditional regulatory framework for labour migration does not fully accommodate this new visit visa scheme and its associated informal networks. This has pushed migration under this scheme into a grey area, raising concerns about illegality or unauthorised activity, increasing vulnerability for some migrant workers and excluding them from protection and support.

Dr Weeraratne noted that to stay competitive and ensure the well-being of all migrant workers, Sri Lanka must adapt to the changing dynamics of labour migration and revisit its regulatory framework to align with modern labour migration trends.