The increase of duty-free allowance given to expatriate workers at the airport increased with effect from yesterday (1), the Ministry of Labour and  Foreign Employment says.

Earlier, a memorandum presented by Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara to the Cabinet of Ministers seeking their approval to increase the duty-free allowance given to expatriate workers at the airport had been green-lighted. Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment took measures to issue the relevant circular.

As per this circular, expatriate workers who legally send money to Sri Lanka through the banking system are eligible to receive an increased duty-free allowance.

The amount of money sent through the banking system from 1 May 2022, will be taken into account and this concession will be given under five categories.

Migrant workers who have sent between $ 2,400-$ 4,799 will get an additional duty-free allowance of $ 600 and workers who have remitted between $ 4,800-$ 7,199 will get an additional allowance of $ 960.

Meanwhile, the expatriate workers who have sent between $ 7,200-$ 11,999 will receive an additional duty-free allowance of $ 1,440, while those who have remitted between $ 12,000-$ 23,999 can get $ 2,400. The migrant workers who have sent $ 24,000 or more can get an additional $ 4,800 duty-free allowance.

The facility is available through a mobile application operated by the Central Bank, and by registering through this app, it is possible to get an additional duty-free allowance based on the amount of dollars they have sent to the country, according to the Ministry.