Sri Lankan migrants find a new home in Andhra Pradesh

Chennai: Sri Lankan citizens looking for

jobs

in India are choosing Andhra Pradesh over Tamil Nadu, shows data released by Union labour minister Santhosh Gangwar in the Rajya Sabha last week on foreigners entering the country on employment visa. At least 551 Sri Lankan citizens registered in Andhra Pradesh compared to 221 in Tamil Nadu in the past three years.

Sri Lanka

has expertise in the garments sector and many skilled workers have migrated to India on employment visa. "In Visakhapatnam, there are garment factories where Sri Lankans are working, after getting an employment visa," said Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner in Chennai V Krishnamoorthy. He said Tamil Nadu too offers opportunities in the garment industry.

At least 1,291 Sri Lankans with an employment visa have entered India in the past three years. Of this, 772 are in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. "The numbers are of Sri Lankan citizens, who are employed in white collar jobs," said Krishnamoorthy.

Apart from the garment industry, people from the island nation are also employed in the information technology industry, said the Sri Lankan official. Foreign affairs expert P S Suryanarayana said most of the Sri Lankans on employment visa in India would have been recruited by agencies in the island nation. "Based on the demand from Indian companies, the recruitment agencies select people to be employed in India. Employment visa is given only if there is a need in India," said Suryanarayanan.

"The applicant for employment visa must be a skilled and qualified professional or person who is being appointed by a company, organisation, industry, or undertaking in India on contract or employment basis in positions such as technical expert, senior executive or managerial level," reads the notification on the website of the Indian High Commission to Sri Lanka. According to the website, employment visa is not granted for jobs for which large numbers of qualified Indians are available.

Tamil Nadu has also seen 183 Chinese entering the state. But compared to Maharashtra, Haryana or Karnataka, the number of foreigners registering to stay in Tamil Nadu is less. "The Government of India is not implementing any specific scheme regulating migrating workers from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal," said the minister. There are also three Bangladeshis, two people from the Maldives and one from Myanmar who are working in Tamil Nadu on employment visa.