"Traffic" is now the new Ice Breaker in Sri Lanka

When you hear people talking about the weather that means either they are looking to "break the ice" and start a conversation or they have run out of things to about! Well, we now have another topic in Sri Lanka that is fast out-placing "weather" for this purpose - Traffic! (this is great for some as they would now have two topics to talk about and sound less boring!) You just need to drop the word "Traffic" and it will spark non stop conversation about how someone got late or met with an accident or just didn't go out due to disgust!


The number of vehicles on the roads of Sri Lanka have increased exponentially over the last couple of years. As seen in the graph below the number of new car registrations peaked in Oct 2015 at a staggering 15,000! This is compared to an average of around 2500 over the last decade.

source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/sri-lanka/car-registrations

I don't have stats that show how many vehicles were taken off the road but I would imagine it can't be more than a couple of hundred (per year) because in Sri Lanka we don't dispose anything! We use it till it corrodes and falls apart and find ways to get around things like emission tests etc. A vehicle that would normally be condemned and scrapped after a bad accident in a western country could be repaired to an almost original state by skilled workmen who have loads of experience doing this so there is no reason to really dispose of the vehicle...ever.


Unfortunately this just results in a huge burden that we Sri Lankans need to face up to daily...even on weekends. This is not just in Colombo but in most towns and major roads in the country. Of course Colombo is the worst...there is congestion getting in and out of the city from as early as 6am till at least 9pm. It is estimated that over 500,000 vehicles enter Colombo Daily! (http://colombogazette.com/2015/12/13/over-500000-vehicles-enter-colombo-daily/). And mind you a good number of these are not small "hatchback" type cars. People new to Sri Lanka would be shocked to see that we have almost all types of vehicles on the road from Teslas, Mercedes Maybachs, Hummers to the new humongous Nissan Petrol and Land Cruiser V8s. Some of them can barely get through some of the roads we have but unfortunately size of the vehicle is more important than practicality for some, so we need to live with that. The issue is compounded by the selfish undisciplined manner in which some people drive without realizing we are all trying to get to our destinations at a reasonable hour. You will often see people creating a 4th lane on a 2 lane road, sometimes including the pavement as well! (there is a facebook page that publicizes such violations - https://www.facebook.com/srilankantrafficviolations). Sadly, politicians and officers of the law are the biggest culprits here since they think they are above the law and can do whatever it takes to get to their destination on time at the expense of hundreds of others who get de-railed along the way. Almost every week we see some sort of a protest in the heart of the city where people block the roads and sometimes trigger police barricades and riot squads - one road getting disrupted means all that traffic then gets diverted to another road that is already congested and causes major havoc on the roads. Similarly every so often we get a foreign dignitary visiting the country and the government then decides to create a new "traffic plan" during his stay so that he won't get held up by traffic. The traffic plan means closing down half of the roads in the city with short notice, which can often add a good 2 hours to ones daily commute! What a sacrifice we all make to show our foreign visitor that we have nice open roads to get to anywhere in just a few minutes!


There is really no concrete solution to the issue and it just keeps getting worse by the day. The traffic police tries but fails miserably due to the volume and the constant increase of vehicles. They have tried making certain roads one-way and opening up additional lanes on the opposite side of the road during peak hours but don't think this has improved the situation at all. 18 months ago It used to take me 30 mins to drop the kids in school if I left home at 6.30am but now it take me 40-45 mins leaving at the same time. If I leave work around 6pm it can take me up to an hour and fifteen mins to get home (10Km). But if I work late and leave at 10pm it takes me only 10 mins to get home - that's the difference that traffic makes.



There are no comfortable public transport systems in the country although there were discussions about monorails etc during the election. So if you want to get to your destination in your own vehicle you will no doubt face this burden. It is really hard to plan a journey since it can easily take you 10 mins or 2 hours to get from point A to B. For the more tech savvy who are happy to rely on automated recommendations, Google Traffic is now available in Sri Lanka and does an awesome job at showing the current situation on the road - well, they just need to paint all the roads RED! If you can't take the stress of driving on these roads then there are many options available from convenient and affordable taxi services like PickMe, Uber or the famous TukTuks! However this doesn't take away the fact that you still end up spending 2-3 hours a day on the road, depending on where you live and work.


Two years and a bit since returning to Sri Lanka and traffic is probably the most frustrating factor so far. There are times that the mere thought about traffic and lack of parking keeps you away from getting out of the house, especially if that journey is optional! 

Work in Sri Lanka Conference 2015 - Great event for those who are on the fence about returning to Sri Lanka

The 3rd Annual conference titled, ‘Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges’ will be held on the 22nd of December 2015 at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo. The conference is a great place for those who are on the fence about returning back to Sri Lanka to learn about the practicalities of coming back home and also listen to stories of those who returned recently and how they navigated through challenges faced. The line of speakers and panelists include people from both private and public sectors and hence provide a good mix of information and insights that would help you progress your decision. I attended the 1st Work in Sri Lanka conference in 2013 and was able to learn a lot about plans and vision of some of the reputed companies in the country and also clear questions I had about immigration/work visas (for non citizens), taxation, recruitment plans for key companies and infrastructural changes planned for the country. It was also great to hear stories from recent returnees about why they returned, what issues they faced in their initial years and the challenges faced by their families when settling down. Their stories definitely helped provide some justification to my thought process and also some re-assurance that we will be able to settle back and be happy with the decision in the long term. Subsequently I had the opportunity to be part of the panel at the 2014 conference and share my experience of returning back.

I encourage you to attend if you still have doubts about returning. However attend with an open mind - the conference is not about showcasing everything that is good about Sri Lanka in order to entice you to come back so make sure you ask the right questions and use the opportunity to talk to people who can help you clear your doubts.

You can watch some of the talks and discussions from previous sessions here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAIxsODWOoAp9gtiqHY8EfQ/feed

Speakers and panelist include:

• Hon Eran Wickramaratne: Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise Development
• Mr. Hiran Cooray: Chairman, Jetwing Hotels and Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority
• Mr. Ajit Gunewardene: Deputy Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC
• Mrs. Manjula Mathews: Executive Chairperson, Dunamis Capital PLC 
• Mr. Suresh Shah: Director and CEO of Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC & Ceylon Beverage Holdings PLC
• Mr. Arjuna Sirinanda: Chief Executive Officer, Brandix i3
• Mr. Prajeeth Balasubramaniam: Founding partner & Managing Director - Blue Ocean Ventures Pvt Ltd Sri lanka General Partner - BOV Capital Singapore
• Mrs. Chandi Dharmaratne: Head of Human Resources, Virtusa
• Mr. Sameer Nagarajan:  Director Human Resources & Corporate Relations, Unilever Sri Lanka Limited
• Mr. Dumith Fernando: CEO, Asia Securities
• Mr. Tilak Dissanayake: MD/Engineer, Ants Global (Pvt) Ltd
• Dr Dinusha Panditaratne: Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies

For information on the agenda and registration: www.workinsrilanka.lk

Back to Sri Lanka - 1 year on...

It's been an year and a bit since we returned back...a little late with this post but nevertheless lots of experiences to share. Although one would think its still early days, it's definitely long enough to see and experience a lot. 3 full school terms, a full financial year at work, social events covering almost every celebration you could think of, changes in weather, a cricket world cup, unexpected elections and a change of government thanks to an astrologer! Moving countries after a decade is not an easy task and takes some time to get used to, especially if your personal circumstances have changed over the years with kids etc. A new home, new job, new schools, new neighbors, change in environment, all happening together quite a lot to deal with.

Kids
The biggest concern before coming back was about how hard it would be for the kids to settle down. Looking back now, this was hardly a pain point as it took them only a few days to settle down. Loads of attention from extended family, opportunity to play outdoors on most days, lot of interaction with cousins, relatives and more socially bonding friends gave them lots of opportunity to play and interact. Of course age mattered - situation would have been very different if we came down with teenagers...we probably would had to go back in 3 months! The younger they are the easier it is for them to adjust and settle down. Our 6 year old picked up Sinhalese within a few months and can now have a decent conversation in Sinhalese. This is as opposed to our 9 year old who understands Sinhalese but is rather reluctant to speak the language...again due to age and personality. We thought they are going to find the heat unbearable but few minutes after a bath you see them running about again all sweaty and dirty...doesn't seem to bother them although we feel very uncomfortable just by looking at them! Mosquitos are a problem, especially with dengue fever around so we keep rubbing mosquito repellents, sometimes several times a day, although we don't know how affective they are!

Talking about schools - we did the rounds visiting all types of schools from leading international schools to mid range international schools to private and semi-government schools and finally decided on the school that I went to which is a leading Catholic semi-government school in Colombo. The rationale behind this decision was mainly to help them associate with a wider spectrum of people, experience heritage and cultural and instill religious values. We felt that these were very important during the primary/foundation years although we expected the academic side of things to be average. Academics are indeed average - some stuff on the curriculum are heavily outdated and were the same 30+ years ago! Anyone remember "sing sing sing, sing mother sing" on radiant way - yep that's still there! And of course Taro the Nigerian! Computer/IT is there as a new subject but the curriculum is very basic and appalling. So academics wise we may need to reconsider when it comes to the years that matter but for now we are happy with the overall experience they are getting in school - especially setting the foundation for dealing with situations and people in an environment with a lot of heritage.

Work
I've always worked for technology companies which have a rather informal culture, provide a lot of flexibility to people and work in a 'jeans and t-shirt' environment. My current employer is probably the epitome of this in Sri Lanka due to the great culture it has adapted and evolved over the years giving employees maximum flexibility in terms of work hours, location and holidays while at the same time providing an environment to do great work. I haven't done a lot of research across all sectors but looking at the technology sector there are lots of companies around now, including some relatively recent ones, that do some great innovative stuff and build disruptive technology products. It's a highly competitive environment when it comes to jobs so you need to do your home work before approaching the top companies. I wrote more about this in a previous post about coming back and working in Sri Lanka.

I get asked if working in Sri Lanka is different to what it was 10 years ago the answer is yes, but I have realized that it is partly because I myself have progressed in age and seniority and now find myself working with a much younger groups of people who have been exposed much more to the industry compared to what I did 10 years ago. In terms of work ethics I personally don't see much a difference since I have worked in Sri Lanka before but if I compare with UK then definitely there is a lot of getting used to for someone who hasn't worked in Sri Lanka before. Working on time is still a rare occurrence and "Sri Lanka time" time still prevails. Political correctness is not always practiced and you will often hear people referred to as "kalu eka" (dark skinned fellow), "bada" (fat fellow) or "thattaya" (bald fellow). If this was done in UK the offender would have been jailed for discrimination and the affected party would have gone into depression. Luckily the social system in Sri Lanka is such that people get used to such things from their school days and don't really care about it when they are older. Health and safety regulations (or the lack of it) is another aspect where people used to paranoid health and safety regulations in UK will get a shock if they see cleaning, painting or repairs being done without sections of buildings being cordoned off. Or even trees being pruned without roads being closed! Then again for someone who has lived and worked in Sri Lanka before this shouldn't be a shock.

Money
As expected cost of living is definitely high and has gone up quite a bit over the last few years. Luckily due to the recent elections (as with all elections and pledges made by incoming governments) we saw a drop in price for most essentials, including fuel. I personally don't have much faith that these prices will always stay low, regardless of what politicians say now. Taxation is relatively low now (16%) compared to 40% in UK and definitely helps deal with the cost of living and also increases what you can save. Salaries in Sri Lanka (at least private sector) have also increased over the years, although still not comparable to what you can earn in a foreign country but the low tax rate definitely helps bridge the gap in terms of what you can save at the end of the month, relative to what you would have saved while oversees (unless you work in the middle east and pay no tax at all!). Dealing with high cost of living (and saving some money) comes down to choices you make in your day to day life from selecting your mode of transport, having air conditioning at home to having local stuff for breakfast instead of your favorite American cereal. It all depends on life style choices and the willingness to be openminded - it is not practical to expect similar standards of living to what you experienced abroad. Some sacrifices are needed and if your reason for coming back home stems from your heart then you won't bother too much about not having similar standards of living.

Getting about daily life
All days start with horrendous traffic regardless of the time of the day. We often see roads closed up due to some political event or foreign dignitary visit or a protest causing traffic on all surrounding roads! There are times where traffic is so bad that you just get depressed being stranded in one place in the hot sun. If I had the choice I would opt not to drive merely due to these conditions. I've tried all forms of transport over the months from bus, train, tuktuk (three-wheeler), taxi to my own vehicle. Obviously the cheapest is the bus but it is also rather uncomfortable and probably takes the longest time, especially if you need to take multiple connections. There are AC busses on some routes now but again they get packed to the brim (cost is around 50/- on a AC bus for a ride that would be 20/- on a non-AC bus - Kotte to Kollupitiya). Train is probably the fastest but then connections are very limited so isn't an option for all. A tuktuk ride will cost around 400-500 from Kollupitiya to Kotte and is rather quick since they use all tactics to get around traffic, of course causing more grief to everyone else on the road. There is a relatively recent option of budget taxis which are quite similar in price to a tuktuk but has air-conditioning so is a less tiring mode of transport (usually a Maruti or a Tata Nano). Having your own vehicle provides a lot more flexibility and comfort but running costs can be rather high, unless you get a hybrid or an electric car such as a Nissan leaf.  For me to drive from office in Maradana to home in Kotte takes anywhere between 45-75Mins during rush hour whereas if I leave very late it will take me under 15 mins - that's the difference that traffic makes. Similarly in the mornings, if I leave home at 6.30 I get to school to drop the kids by 7am but if we leave at 6.40am, then its 7.25am when we get to school, just about when the gates close! 10 mins delay during peak hours can make a huge difference.

I wrote about the frustrations of getting things done at govt departments in a previous post. This has been rather consistent in every such instance and demonstrates an appalling level of inefficiency, lack of respect and professionalism. However, most of us have no choice but to face these situations or be left with further delays in getting stuff done.

Shopping for products and services is not a great experience, especially once you are quite used to doing most of it online from getting razor blades to groceries based on reviews and price comparisons. Finding good stuff takes some effort and requires you to go around and try things out yourself. In general, quality of products is not that great (clothes, toys, house hold items, plastics etc. ) Of course you do get a limited selection of branded stuff but it will come at a premium. There are some online stores coming up now which offer a decent selection of products at a reasonable price and also limited purchases on Amazon, eBay etc is possible but there are times when shipments get held up at customs causing a lot of hassle to get them cleared. Kapruka.com has a service now where they bring down stuff and do all the clearance for you if you give them the Amazon or eBay product links but this can be quite costly, especially for electronics or electrical items. Customer service in general is also very poor. If you walk into a shop, in most places the sales people tend to ignore you or keep chatting with their colleagues until you go behind them and ask a question. Even then the attitude is mostly like "take it or leave it without wasting my time". Of course I must say that this is not common to all companies but more of a general comment...I have come across a few places where customer service has been reasonably good and excellent on a very few occasions. The other challenge is finding reliable and quality workman for odd jobs at home such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters and masons. Most of them don't want to take small jobs. Even if they do they will take a long time to respond to you - I've realized that most of them control their demand by ignoring you and not answering calls or not turning up after saying they would, instead of looking at it as an opportunity for more work to grow their business.

Sri Lankan food is still great! From the good old Kottu to the egg roti with chicken and Sri Lankan Chinese with hot butter cuttlefish (better known as HBC these days)...it's all still great but you need to know where to get the good stuff. There's also the option of Cheese Kottu now (not sure if it was always there!) - adds a bit of an Italian touch! Obviously prices have gone up...a kottu and ice milo at Pilaws will cost around 400-500/- now. Lot's of options of places to go depending on the occasion and the budget including some classy bars and restaurants that you wouldn't have seen in Sri Lanka a decade ago.

I haven't always been a keen follower of politics but in Sri Lanka it's not possible to not know what's going on since there is always a political 'hot topic' that gets discussed when people meet up. The last few months were extremely interesting, tensed and rather entertaining. No one expected a change in regime 6 months ago but an astrological forecast that went wrong changed the course of the country. Still rather turbulent and hence long term political stability is questionable but for a country and people who haven't seen political stability for decades, it is just a way of life...it can only get better.

Remember those nosy people who want to know everything about you and will then have 101 things to say about what you do or say? Yes, they still exist in abundance! You tell people that you bought a car they will find fault with the dealer or the brand or the price you paid. Tell them you went to a restaurant for dinner, they will say you have too much money or ask why you went to that place instead of another. Some comments can really bring you down if you are not ready for it. But after a couple of interactions you will realize how much information to share with people - I like to share minimum or nothing, unless I really know the person well.

Overall life in Sri Lanka is very very busy. Work, countless number of social gatherings and navigating through traffic just eats up all the time leaving hardly any for yourself. But the time spent on all of this (except traffic!) feels more enjoyable and full-filling so don't really see it as a negative.


Well I think that's enough ranting for this post. Going back 2 years we were struggling to make the decision about returning home and afraid to take the risk of coming back with a young family. Looking back at the time we have been in Sri Lanka, settling down definitely wasn't easy. If we kept comparing things with England during the first few months we probably would have not lasted here for long. The first 6 months were very tiring and stressful trying to sort out various aspects of living here with the family. My advise to anyone who is making the move now is to expect a rough ride within the fist 6-12 months but thereafter things will start falling into place and some of the struggles will just become a part of everyday living. Lots of people ask me if I regret coming back...it's still been only a year (and a bit) but so far the answer is NOT AT ALL. There have been many frustrations and hard times over the last year but we haven't looked back at our decision at all. I think this is a lot to do with the reason we came back. Being amongst the people who matter a lot to us and being able to relate to everything that happens around us has been extremely fulfilling despite life not being as comfortable as it used to be back in England. However if you ask ask me if you should come back now - I'm afraid you need to make that decision yourself. As I have stated in previous posts, you need to consider your personal circumstances and preferences and do your home work before taking the plunge. The purpose of my blog is to merely share my experience of coming back and hopefully provide some insights for those who are struggling with the decision, like I did a couple of years ago.

Applying for Dual Citizenship in Sri Lanka - what the instructions don't say!

I applied for dual citizenship this morning and was able to complete the process in less than 45 mins. However this is due to advise given by several friends who applied before me and found out that the instructions on the form were far from complete (thanks guys!). Of course this is to be expected and is what I ranted about in a previous post about dealing with govt. departments. Make sure you have the following available when you go in to lodge your application. Note that my experience is from lodging the application at the department of immigration in Colombo. Process and requirements at consulates around the world may be different so please feel free to comment on this post if you have any information you can share.

1. The form says you need to submit certified copies or originals of your documents (birth certificate etc). What they really means is that you need to submit the original with a photocopy and they will certify it at that point (the asst. controller does this). If you don't have originals they will make a fuss and you may be turned back. You don't need to provide certified copies of anything. Originals are given back soon after certifying.

2. All photocopies need to be on A4 size paper. Other sizes are not accepted as it doesn't fit in the file! Take photo copies of everything you can think of!

3. Even for the "resumption" category they ask for the Sri Lankan passport (even if it's not valid anymore). You need a copy of the details page along with the passport itself.

4. You need photo copies of all entry visas to Sri Lanka (on your foreign passport).

5. Everyone over 18 years needs a police certificate. When I asked them 3 weeks ago they said I need to get it from UK even though I have been in Sri Lanka for more than a year now. But today they said if the applicant has been in Sri Lanka for more than 6 months then a police report from Sri Lanka will be accepted! There goes (£45 x2) down the drain!

Get there early - we were in by 7.30am and got appointment number 1. Depending on the number you get you may need to spend 1.5-2 hours as it's only one person at the counter for collecting the docs.

The process is supposed to take between 1-3 months (they have not been consistent with this communication). However you get a nice acknowledgement letter with a reference number etc stating that they are "honored" to accept your application. I also overheard one of the officials telling someone on the phone that there will be a periodic citizenship ceremony at BMICH to award citizenship...!

Dealing with government departments

Within the first few months of coming back we had to deal with several government departments - Customs, Immigration, Police, Labour department and Motor vehicle registration department.

First experience was when we went to clear the stuff we had shipped from England. Ceylon Shipping Lines (CSL) in Orugodawatta has a customs office situated within the warehouse. The office opens at 8am but when I went in at 8.30am everyone was taking a break for breakfast. Once the paperwork processing started we were sent back and forth several times to get photo copies of various documents and every time we got back to the counter the people at the counter were always busy chatting with each other or on a personal call or out for a tea break! Paperwork went on for a good 2-3 hours and then had to break again since it was lunch hour for the folks at CSL. So we waited, had a bit of lunch ourselves and then finally got the required signatures and got the papers released from CSL only to find out that the Customs office lunch time starts one hour later than CSL! So that was another 1 hour wait. Once the process started moving again we had to go through 8-10 different customs counters for declaring goods to clearing and paying taxes. Each counter had its own queue - Sri Lankan style (i.e. the most indisciplined and selfish get through first). And then again at each counter you find customs staff chatting away and on personal phone calls and watching TV with no sense of customer service or courtesy. Finally after a 7 hours of dealing with inefficiency managed to get the stuff cleared.

Next was with the Police when I had to get a police report due to the side mirror of my car being stolen (not just the mirror, the whole unit had been taken apart) while it was parked at a residential area in Colombo 05 (afternoon). They apparently steal the whole unit now for the value of the motor and not the mirror! Insurance folks said they need a police report to process the claim. The first visit to the Police station was to provide a 'statement'. Out came a large log book where the Police officer started writing everything I was dictating based on his questions. Remember what I had lost was a side mirror of my car - but the questions were: what is my age, my height, my weight, my religion, my marital status etc...the officer managed to rant through 3 pages! Then I was given a paper and a pen to write a letter to them in sinhalese requesting a report for the statement I just provided and was told to come the next day to collect it. Went the next day, the officer who took my statement hadn't passed on the job to anyone so no one knew what had to be done. I had to point to the log book that was used for the statement and I was told to come the next day again. Went the next day again, only to find out that it hadn't been done yet. After a making a bit of noise I was told to take a seat so they can type it out while I was there. The typist couldn't read the hand writing of the person who wrote the statement so I had to explain the situation again. Then enters a friend of the typist and they start chatting about someones baby for about 10 mins...then sees me waiting and starts typing again! Finally after about a 1.5 hour wait managed to get the report and head home after 3 visits to the police station.

Transferring ownership of the car I bought was another ordeal. Took all the documents that were requested on the forms along with photocopies and at the counter I was asked why I didn't bring some other documents that were not on the list! There is the option of getting the registration certificate via a one-day service but I was told that only for that process I need to present a letter from the previous owner providing consent to me taking over the vehicle (this is after he had signed all the transfer papers!). Funny enough, this letter is not required for the 'delayed service' (I call it that since it doesn't have a time period attached!). I then handover applications for the 'delayed service' and was told that the registration docs would be posted home when they were ready. So after two long months I went back to the department to check why there is a delay only to be told that they don't post it and that it is ready for collection. So I get into a queue and wait for people behind the counter to finish their chats... and after about 45 mins get hold of my registration doc with my name misspelt. Correcting that needs a signature from the commissioner so there I stand in another long queue! Anyway got all that done and then was told that I can come again the next day to collect my new number plates. Knowing that it won't be ready the next day I went back the following week only to be told that I need to return my old number plates in order to collect the new ones! So there I go again the next day (not able to drive without number plates on the car) and finally got the plates and closed the deal after 4 visits and about 7 hours of waiting time.

I won't go into details about the other departments as the bottom line is the same...incredible levels of inefficiency. There are slight improvements to be noticed over the last decade like issuing of numbers in some departments, air-conditioned waiting areas and a defined workflow for getting through the job. I know we can't compare the processes and facilities available here to that available in western or more developed countries. There is also the potential use of technology which can automate and make a big difference but would need a big investment so probably not feasible over here. But there are a couple of basics that can make a huge difference. The first is training people in customer service and courtesy. There is absolutely none at the moment. No respect for the customer's time at all and it is very common to see people chatting away with their colleagues at the expense of the customer. Some basic training and consequences for not showing that respect can make a big difference. The next is to have some basic processes like having queue lines so that people can't flock counters and get served only based on who comes first. Some places issue numbers which also works but again not consistent. The third improvement I can think of is to provide clear and detailed instructions of what documents are needed, what are the prerequisites, expected waiting times. These are all simple things that can make this a more pleasant experience and cut down on waiting times.

So in summary, dealing with government departments in Sri Lanka is an experience. One can manage to go through it once but not over and over. It has barely changed over the last decade. Luckily, as with all other things in Sri Lanka, connections matter for getting through these too. Investing a bit of time to get to know the 'right' people or people who know the 'right' people will help you cut down your waiting times and in some cases even provide you with a personalized service that only a statesman would get!

Dual citizenship is back!

After more than 4 years the Dual Citizenship page on the Immigration.lk website has been updated! The process to obtain dual citizenship seems pretty much the same as it was previously. So is the cost - Rs 250,000 for main applicant and Rs 50K each for a dependent.

http://www.immigration.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=299&Itemid=214&lang=en

There will definitely be delays in the process due to the huge backlog but better start early before the scheme is lifted again!

Thoughts from recent returnees - Work in Sri Lanka Conference 2014

I was invited to be part of a panel discussion at the work in Sri Lanka conference held in December 2014 where a group of recent returnees shared their experience of coming back home. This is the video recording of this session:

Work In Sri Lanka is a purely volunteer driven organization that promotes and encourages people to return back and work in Sri Lanka and holds quarterly meet ups for people to network and share experiences. They also have an annual conference where people from government and private sector organizations present their plans and facts that would help people thinking about returning to make their decision. I also attended the conference in December 2013 where I was able to gain a lot of insights about the current state in the country at the time and also meet people who in turn eventually helped when I actually made the return back home. So I would definitely recommend you to attend the Work in Sri Lanka meet-ups and also participate in the conference in December. You can follow them on their facebook page or website http://workinsrilanka.lk/ .

Dual Citizenship or Residency Visa

The Government of Sri Lanka stopped issuing dual citizenship to people in February 2011. Various reasons were cited at the time and a new process similar to what is available in India was to be announced. Fours years on there is still no proper verdict around this. At various stages there were announcements by the government that dual citizenship will be available again within a few months and there were battles within government departments (legal draftsman and immigration commissioner) around how and what should be done before the bill was passed in parliament. Just before the presidential election in January 2015 there was an announcement from the government saying dual citizenship has been reopened for application but I know of people who called the embassy only to find out that they were not even aware of it. Another friend called the immigration department in Sri Lanka and they said that the forms were not ready yet. After the government changed early this year there was a new announcement saying dual citizenship is now available at a cost of Rs.500,000 per application! (http://www.dailymirror.lk/62519/dual-citizenship-potentially-available-to-all-lankans). However there still doesn't seem to be any defined process in place to make this happen. 500K per application is rather absurd...if I understood that correctly that would be Rs 2M for a family of 4!! Not worth at all in my opinion...it doesn't even cost that much to obtain British citizenship! And it is not fair charging so much from ex-Sri Lankans who want to come back to their motherland.

This fiasco around Dual Citizenship has discouraged a lot of people from returning back to Sri Lanka. There are people abroad who are killing time until Dual Citizenship is available so that they can then get their foreign citizenship and return home without any implications to their status in Sri Lanka as there are fears about property and concerns around not being able to purchase new property once they return back. There are others who have lost Sri Lankan citizenship who are not willing to come back until they get dual citizenship as they will feel insecure otherwise. It is fare to put a process in place where the intent to return is validated before issuing dual citizenship but dragging it on for years is not good and demonstrates indecisiveness and inefficiency on part of the government.

However, for those who really want to come back and are thinking about immigration issues there are several visa options that can be considered. If you are lucky enough to get a Sri Lankan company to sponsor you to work for them then it is most likely that they will get a work visa approved for you. That it self is a long process which requires approval from Ministry of Defense, BOI etc but most reputed companies are now geared up to do that. If you get a work visa sorted out it is valid for 1 year and your company will have to renew it at the end of that period. If you are not planning to come here on work, then there is a residence visa scheme where, especially if you are an ex-Sri Lankan, you can apply and obtain a visa that is valid for 1 year and can be renewed. This costs around Rs. 10,000 per year. There is more information about all visas and the process at http://www.immigration.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153&Itemid=198&lang=en .

My advise to people abroad who are thinking about getting citizenship in your country of residence or thinking of coming back but have lost citizenship in Sri Lanka is to not dwell about Dual Citizenship but to consider one of these short term visa options if and when you want to come back. There are some implications of not having citizenship here like not being able to purchase land (unless you pay loads of taxes), not being able to vote etc. According to existing laws any property that you owned before loosing citizenship can remain yours (best to validate with a lawyer but this is what I have heard). So there are ways to get over the immigration issues if you really want to come back...don't wait for the dual citizenship process to be reinstated.

Want to come back and work in Sri Lanka? Make your years abroad count!

I always wanted to return to Sri Lanka someday and was always conscious of how the work I did while I was abroad was going to affect my employment potential back in Sri Lanka. In this post I am sharing some things I think you should consider doing to make your self more attractive to potential recruiters if you have plans to return to Sri Lanka in the future. My comments are slightly biased towards the IT industry but should serve as a guide to those in other industries as well.

The fact that you lived and worked in a foreign country for years is just not enough to increase your job potential in Sri Lanka unless you have used that time to increase your marketability. Someone who has worked as a Java Programmer for 10 years in a small-mid sized software house in a foreign country should not expect to come back and land a job at a very senior position just because he has 'worked abroad'. Especially in the IT industry in Sri Lanka, you will be surprised to see the number of young people who have really gone the distance in their careers, even as fresh grads, by participating in globally recognized hackathons, running multiple startups while still at university, google summer camps, publishing papers and speaking at conferences etc. So unless you have gone the extra mile yourself, average experience in a foreign country is only going to get you an average job which is probably far below your potential.

Do work that will be in demand in Sri Lanka a few years from now
Regardless of technological advancements, it takes awhile for latest thinking, techniques, methodologies and technologies to get recognized and instilled in Sri Lanka. This is where some forward thinking would help. Try to look for work that would potentially be in demand in Sri Lanka in a few years time. Having those skills and expertise will help you differentiate your pitch and put you ahead of other candidates since you have the potential to transform how companies work. A good example from a few years back, again in the IT industry, was around the introduction of Agile methodologies. I remember 'Agile' being spoken as THE way of working in the software industry in UK about 8 years ago and there were workshops everywhere and people who had just read about the subject were cashing in by doing trainings for companies who wanted to adopt Agile methodologies. However in Sri Lanka, companies really started exploring Agile in detail only 3-5 years ago and anyone who had been exposed to the Agile way of working at the time would definitely had great potential when it came to securing employment.

Brand yourself
Regardless of your move back decision it is in your interest to promote your work and get recognized for what you do. Use social media to talk about and promote your work and also voice your opinion about things unfolding in the industry around your area of expertise. Most importantly, in the interest of your move back decision, use your work to get linked up with like minded people in Sri Lanka who will have an influence over relevant companies and the industry.

Big brands matter
It is always better to be able to say you worked for a reputed global brand rather than a company that is relatively unheard of, especially in this part of the world. If you are in Telecoms, for example, if you have companies like Vodafone, O2 or T-Mobile on your CV then that would immediately get potential telecoms recruiters interested as they know what these companies have achieved and will expect you to have seen and learnt how they work and be able to bring some of that thinking to their companies. So if you have an idea to come back, try to get at least 1-2 global brands on your CV - it's not easy getting into such companies so will need some hard work!

Keep in touch!
If you had your primary/secondary education in Sri Lanka and had worked here for a few years then you need to make sure you keep in touch with people who were your friends, work colleagues, bosses etc at the time. Several years later you can be sure that most of them will be in senior positions in their respective fields and some may even be heading companies. They will be your social capital when navigating the job market in Sri Lanka. Even if they won't be able to offer you a job they will definitely have contacts who they can introduce you to. Old boy networks and connections go a very long way when it comes to finding work or getting anything done in Sri Lanka so its absolutely essential that you keep in touch with people if you are hoping to come back.

Follow your industry, relevant companies and key personalities
It is important that you know how your industry is changing or has changed over the years in Sri Lanka. New companies may have taken the top place in the industry and some older brands may have conceded to competition or not moved fast enough and succumbed to industry pressures. Know which companies are doing well and have the potential to do so for years to come. These are also the companies that will be most sought out by potential employees. It is also important to know who the key personalities are in your industry and what their vision is. There are many ways to follow all of these via online news papers, linkedin, twitter, facebook etc or even by catching up with friends and colleagues to discuss industry/company gossip! These will also help influence your move back decision and decide on timing, especially if decent employment is a key aspect on your agenda.

Keep track of your earning potential 
A highly accomplished professional who had been away for 10+ years and was thinking of coming back recently asked me if he should pitch in the range of Rs. 150,000 per month. Knowing his experience, achievements and potential, I was sure he can earn well above Rs. 500,000 per month - he was very surprised when I told him this! He hadn't followed the industry and how things had changed and was still in the mind set that 80-100K was a high salary, as it was when he left the country. If you haven't done your research and pitch at a very low or high rate your potential employees are going to take you for a joke and you will loose credibility. At the same time, you need to know your  limits as well. A fresh graduate from a foreign university may not be able to demand a 6 figure salary unless he/she has significant achievements to back it up. On the other extreme, a Rs. 1M+ per month salary is not unheard of now but is not for everyone and is not something you should aim for just because you lived abroad, unless you have the credentials, experience and personal brand to demand it.

Not everyone will have a long term plan of coming back to Sri Lanka and sometimes family circumstance may force people to change course and make a sudden decision to return back. Some of the aspects I have mentioned above are worth doing regardless of your move back decision. Even if you have decided to settle in a foreign country, having these links with Sri Lanka may come in handy some day if you think of establishing a business or returning back for retirement or even want to do some consulting to get away from the cold months! The important thing is to make your years abroad count - as Steve Jobs said, you will be able to connect the dots some day!

Tips for making it work in Sri Lanka

Few tips for making it work here - I will keep adding to the list as and when I think realize more:

1. DO NOT get involved in politics and keep a distance from politicians
2. If you want to do business, keep it small - the larger it gets the more you need to deal with the government, politicians and inefficiency. This will just deeply frustrate you.
3. Most people in Sri Lanka are very curious and nosy and want to know a lot about you, your job, relations, income, property, kids etc etc. Try to identify such people early before you open out about your life and problems and keep a distance.
4. Most Sri Lankans will have an opinion about what you do and how you do it. You need to learn to deal with it - ignore most of it and avoid discussing such matters with opinionated people. 
5. The inverse of the above also important - if you can help it keep your opinions to yourself - especially if it is to do with criticism then people are unlikely to backdown whatever you say and it will only stress you out more.
6. If you need to commute to Colombo for work or school, leave home early and get to your destination early, traffic at rush hour is horrendous and will just make you tired and stressed up before you get there and will just ruin your day. Its the same in the evenings - either leave early or leave late. You will feel more relaxed and happy when you get home if you avoid traffic.
7. Try to get out of the city often. There are so many lovely places in Sri Lanka to visit, relax and enjoy - beaches, wild life, hill country, historic sites etc. You can easily find affordable places for accommodation in most destinations to suit your budget so it doesn't have to be a very costly affair.
8. Visit rural Sri Lanka and spend some time with the less privileged - anything you give them, including your smile, will put a huge smile on their faces and make you feel really good and make your stay in Sri Lanka really worth it!

Moving back to Sri Lanka? Expect Challenges!

The decision to move back to Sri Lanka after over a decade is a daunting one. While we started thinking about moving back in 2010, when we actually started working through the details of moving back it turned out to be extremely stressful. The research and planning for a potential return started in 2011, with an expected return towards the latter part of 2012. There were so many things to consider and decisions to be made which made us defer the move by a year to late 2013.

The research started by talking to a lot of people both in Sri Lanka and in England. These people included family, relatives, friends, former colleagues in Sri Lanka, teachers, people who had gone back to Sri Lanka, people who had settled in UK and other countries but had briefly contemplated moving back but for some reason decided not to etc. While we did get a lot of advise and from everyone we spoke to, both for and against the move, on hindsight we probably took it a little too far by seeking opinions from too many people. We had always wanted to come back to Sri Lanka so every time someone spoke to us about the positives of moving back we were thrilled as it was more like approving our decision. Comments like 'great decision', 'nothing like home', 'parents and family will be thrilled', 'situation in Sri Lanka is improving' all gave us a lot of encouragement. But at the same time it was extremely discouraging and heartbreaking to hear the opposite; there were times we thought we should just forget about it and make up our minds to settle down in England. There were people who literally said 'you're mad/crazy/nuts/stupid' to go back to that country!' 'Country is going to the dogs', 'things are going backwards', 'corruption',  'cost of living', 'it's so hot there and mosquitos all over', 'why do you want to come back to this country when you have a good life there?', 'you won't survive more than 1 year there',  'traffic is terrible', 'people are looking to leave the country' etc etc. We were sure that most of these comments were true indeed but it was our mistake to actually go behind for advise knowing what the response will be in most cases. It was actually disappointing to hear some of the comments from people who had lived in Sri Lanka for 20-30 years before moving out now say things that implied that Sri Lanka was a God-forbidden country! Anyway, listening to comments and getting opinions from all around really held us back several times - may be we were not bold enough to make the decision without consulting people who we thought would advise us wisely. So my advise is to limit the number of opinions you seek - gather lots of information and make your decision independently!

Cost of living is a major concern. If you have been out for over a decade you will notice a huge difference from how much the cost of products and services have gone up. Depending on the life style and standard of living you want to maintain, an average middle class family of four will need between Rs.100,000 and Rs. 200,000 to get through the month - excluding any loans that need to be paid! Salaries have gone up though, mainly at senior levels in the private sector. But at junior levels it will be a struggle, especially if you are to support a family and build some savings for the future. Having said that, there is still a huge majority of people who get through the month with an income of less than Rs. 10,000. They have found ways to adapt to the challenges by sticking to the basics and living very simple life styles. So if you really want to come back and don't see potential to earn a decent salary, then expect to sacrifice on some comforts. It would be to your benefit if you can create additional streams of income for the family.

Education for children is another major concern. The government schools in Sri Lanka still teach in the same way they did 30 years ago. Their aim is get children to to get through exams and not to help them understand concepts so that they would be able to apply them to real life situations. There is a huge level of competition, even at grade 1 or 2, where small children spend most of their evenings in tuition classes instead of playing and doing everything else that children are supposed to do. Even some parents are very competitive and push their children so that they could show off to others that their children did well in their term tests. This aspect unfortunately seems to be getting worse, especially in government sector schools. There is more hope with private schools - some have altered their curriculum to better suit children of today and employ modern ways of teaching to help students understand concepts; still a long way off from what is offered in western countries. However there is huge competition to admit children into these schools and often require personal connections to school administrators and hefty donations as much as Rs. 500,000 to ensure a place at school. The next level of schooling is to consider international schools - and there are plenty of them now - where a foreign curriculum and modern teaching methods are followed to provide a high standards of education that is, in some cases, comparable to what is offered in western countries. However this comes at a price - monthly fees can vary from as high as Rs.25,000 to Rs.175,000! So this is something you will need to consider, especially if your children are in good schools abroad now and you don't want to deprive them of a quality education. A point to note though is that if the reason you are coming back to Sri Lanka has a lot to do with culture and ensuring the children get a good grounding in the Sri Lankan value system, then you will need to consider either a reputed government school or private school. It is unlikely that they will get the same grounding in an international school. However you will need to weigh the pros and cons of each.

If you are living a comfortable and relatively relaxed life abroad now, you will need to realize that it will change drastically if you move back. If you are Sri Lankan, you are likely to have many relatives and friends around. There will be many, overlapping social commitments that you will be obliged to attend. Relaxed sundays and evening walks in the park will become a distant memory unless you can diplomatically dodge some of these to create time for yourself. Traffic, especially in Colombo, is horrendous. Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours on the road just for the daily commute depending on where you live and work. The heat can be unbearable during certain months. If you are to use an air conditioner in your house then you are going to go beyond the expense levels I stated above due to high electricity bills. Mosquitos are galore! You will get used to them after awhile but the worrying factor is around the diseases they spread - mainly dengue which can be fatal if not properly diagnosed and neglected. So this should be a concern for families, especially with young children.

General inefficiency, political instability, high-levels of corruption and favouritism are all aspects that impact anyone living in Sri Lanka. You will need to face a lot of such situations when carrying out your day to day activities. Customer service is very poor compared to levels of service in some developed countries. There are not a lot of services available online yet (although this is improving quite a bit now). So overall getting things done will not be easy so expect to be frustrated often!

What I have shared above is a result of the research that I did before moving back to Sri Lanka combined with some experiences from having lived here for a few months now. Overall, if you are still struggling with the decision about moving back then know that there is no right or wrong decision when it comes to this matter. People will have opinions about what you should to do but my advise is that you listen to a few but follow your heart. It should be a very personal decision and suite your own circumstances and should not be influenced by the circumstances or life choices of someone else. If you have the ability to do so then it is always good to have a back-up plan so that you can go back some time in the future. But this should not be a concrete plan that you will fallback to as soon as you face the first obstacle in Sri Lanka. Even if you don't have a means of going back, if you have lived in Sri Lanka before, you will know in your heart that you can somehow make it work if you want to! If you really want to follow your heart and come back home then maintain very low expectations and you will be just fine!

Why I returned to Sri Lanka

I spent most of the last 11 years living outside of Sri Lanka, around 2 years in USA and 9 years in UK. This is basically all my wedded life and all of our children's lives. All trips abroad started off as a few months or a year or 2 years but then as new opportunities came about plans changed and our stay got prolonged year by year. There was never an intention to settle down outside of Sri Lanka but the longer you stay out and live in one place you get used to it more and more and start becoming comfortable and less likely to move again. However, although there were new opportunities and experiences to grab, the thought that we never wanted to settle outside Sri Lanka kept working on my mind and felt that we should at least try living in Sri Lanka again before the kids grow up. It's obviously not an easy decision after living outside for so long and hence took 3 years to actually finally make the decision and take the plunge. There were several factors that contributed to this decision - most of these factors were emotional and were driven by the heart but there are many other factors and challenges to consider and overcome (like the economic side of moving!) when actually going ahead with the move. 


Kids
Our kids hardly got exposure to their grand parents, relatives and most importantly their cultural roots. There is a huge difference in social values and interactions - in UK it was unlikely for them to make 'friends for life' from school, university and work. Interactions are often limited to school, except for the occasional play date, very different and less in frequency compared to how we used to interact with our friends when we were young. Once they go through their formal education and go to work, they are likely to have mostly colleagues and not friends, again very different to the life time bonds we build with work colleagues and frequent social events like trips and drinks and bajjaw parties! We realized that there is very less bonding between people in western cultures - a bit of a negative for brining up our kids outside of Sri Lanka. From an education perspective, the quality of the academic curriculum and methods of teaching are far better in England - they are better geared to help children understand concepts and acquire knowledge as opposed to learning just to pass exams, as it happens with the government curriculum in Sri Lanka. However for us, education, especially at the primary stages, meant not only academics. There is far more grounding and learning to be done in terms of culture, values, religion, social beliefs etc, all which are more difficult to teach children, the older they get. We felt that these are naturally engraved in children in Sri Lanka, through school and other social interactions, although to a lesser extent than the time we were in school, but to a better degree than western countries. May be from a purely academic perspective it would be better to be back in the UK when it is important for them to settle down to get a good quality education but for now we felt it was best if they got a good social and cultural grounding in Sri Lanka.

Parents
Our parents are slowly heading towards their golden years now. We want to spend more time with them and be closer to them while they can still enjoy life. Us being away meant that they will hardly know their grand children and not be able to experience the joys of having them around and spoil them. We felt that we need to be there for them now and not wait till they are old and disabled.

Substance in life
We always felt that life was more rich in substance in Sri Lanka. There is always a lot happening with relatives and friends around and seeing familiar situations evolving with time. There are jokes that our British friends would crack that we never understood and often situations that we would relate which they never understood. There is never a dull moment in Sri Lanka, always a party or wedding or funeral or some social gathering, although can be very tiring at times, they definitely add more substance to life.

Sense of belonging
After 9 years in UK, making so many friends, getting use to the culture and how things are done, we never really had a sense of belonging in countries outside of Sri Lanka. Occasionally there would be some situation in a shop or airport or playground where you would hear some remark (sometimes rather racial) where you really feel this is not where you belong.  

Career
Depending on what you do and the type of companies you want to work for, career progression can be rather limiting in western countries after one point. As with Sri Lanka, there is a some reliance on 'old boy networks' where relationships from universities or prior jobs really matter for more senior positions. While this can be overcome with time and a good performance track record, it is harder and would take longer. 

Friends

We made so many new friends in England over the years and established deeper bonds with friends who also moved to England around the same time. Our kids also made friends with our friends children. It would have been a hard decision to leave them and return back to SL after all these years if not for the technological advancements available today from social media to video calling which can help keep in touch easily, although it may not be the same.

As I said above, there are lots of other factors to consider like money, jobs, recreation, work life balance etc. But I was mainly following my heart so the other factors really become secondary and things to deal with and work out over time. I will share some further thoughts on those in a subsequent blog.