SLHC Singapore has commenced Consular and Labor & Welfare Services

(November 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore has commenced Consular and Labor & Welfare Services, on every Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from mid November of 2008. This efficacious initiative was introduced by the newly appointed High Commissioner, on instructions by the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Singapore has an expatriate Sri Lankan population of approximately 23,000 out of which 15,000 of them are in the category of housemaids. Most of these workers and housemaids are unable or find difficulty to visit the High Commission for Consular and Labour related services on weekdays, including on Saturdays.

The Consular Section of the High Commission attends to a number of functions such as issuance and renewal of passports, issuance of emergency passports; registration of births, marriages and deaths; attestation, authentication and certification of documents; processing and issuance of visas including business and journalist visas and translation of documents among others.

The Labour and Welfare Section of the Mission addresses issues such as the renewal of Labour contracts and signing of new labour contracts including contracts with the employment agents, settlement of labour disputes and welfare related issues, repatriation of stranded employees and other labour and welfare related issues in close coordination with the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore among others.

A significant number of Sri Lankan expatriate employees markedly benefit and obtain assistance from the Consular and Labor related services since these Sections, in particular, and the Mission, in general, are kept open on every Sunday. This enables the expatriate Sri Lankan employees as well as non-Sri Lankan nationals in Singapore to obtain the said services, without any time constraints and impediments, since Sunday is often a day-off or a holiday for them. - Sri Lanka Guardian