Making Diaspora Policies Without Knowing The Diaspora? The Case of Sri Lanka
Making Diaspora Policies Without Knowing The Diaspora? The Case of Sri Lanka

Author(s): Pavithra Jayawardena
Subject(s): Governance, Migration Studies, Asylum, Refugees, Migration as Policy-fields
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: diaspora policies; Sri Lanka; diaspora; dual citizenship policy; central diaspora outreach policy; civil war; Sri Lankan; Sri Lankan citizens; government; emigrants; policy;
Summary/Abstract: Many sending countries around the world are relaxing their diaspora policies day by day. Sri Lanka, a sending country with over one million diaspora members, continues the dual citizenship policy as their central diaspora outreach policy. During the last decade, specifically after the end of the civil war, Sri Lankan dual citizenship policy became a heated topic at the domestic level. I argue that while Sri Lankan citizens who are living in the country and the government became the main entities in dual citizenship debates, Sri Lankan emigrants’ reasons and narratives are often ignored. Since the decisions on dual citizenship are made in absence of accurate knowledge on emigrants’ interests and needs, I argue that the existing Sri Lankan dual citizenship policy is ineffective; hence the need to revisit and reform the policy. The data of this study are gathered through 51 semi-structured interviews with Sri Lankan diaspora members in Australia and New Zealand. The findings suggest a disparity between the governments’ and emigrants’ expectations and interest on dual citizenship; Sri Lankan diaspora members’ interests are more non-instrumental (e.g. sense of belonging) while the government’s interests are more instrumental (e.g. investing).

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