President Orders Plan to Give Unused State Land to Returning Sri Lankan Migrant Workers

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed relevant government authorities to develop a structured programme that would allocate underutilised state land to Sri Lankan migrant workers returning from abroad, enabling them to invest and establish livelihoods back home.

A New Path for Returning Migrants

The presidential directive signals a significant policy shift aimed at channelling the skills, savings, and entrepreneurial energy of returning migrant workers into productive economic activity on home soil. By granting access to idle state land, the government hopes to create meaningful opportunities for those who have spent years working overseas and are now looking to resettle in Sri Lanka.

Underutilised land held by the state has long been identified as an underexploited national resource, and this initiative would seek to put such land to productive use while simultaneously addressing the reintegration challenges faced by returning migrant communities.

Supporting the Migrant Community

Sri Lanka has one of the largest overseas worker populations in South Asia, with hundreds of thousands employed across the Middle East, East Asia, and beyond. Many return home after years of service with capital to invest but limited pathways to do so effectively.

The proposed programme is expected to provide returning workers with not only land access but also the necessary support frameworks to launch investments, potentially spanning agriculture, small industries, and other economic ventures.

President Dissanayake's instruction reflects his administration's broader commitment to leveraging the contributions of the Sri Lankan diaspora and migrant workforce as a pillar of the country's economic recovery and long-term development strategy.

Next Steps

Authorities have been tasked with formulating a concrete plan outlining how the land allocation process would be administered, including eligibility criteria for returning migrant workers and the mechanisms through which investments would be facilitated and monitored.

Further details of the programme are expected to be announced once the relevant ministries complete their consultations and present their proposals to the President for approval.