- Annual Deportations of Chinese Nationals on the Rise!
By Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi
The violent clash between two groups of Chinese nationals at the Colombo Port City premises, the abduction of injured individuals, and the recovery of firearms—including a Glock pistol loaded with live ammunition—along with communication equipment at the scene, have sparked a critical dialogue regarding Sri Lanka’s national security. While the Chinese Embassy intervened immediately following the incident to request a full investigation, the most serious underlying issue is the weakness of the authorities’ mechanism to monitor and control illegal activities carried out by foreigners entering the country on tourist visas.
Illegal Employment and Business Behind Tourist Visas
According to Sri Lankan law, any foreign national holding a Tourist Visa or a Tourist ETA is strictly prohibited from engaging in any paid or unpaid employment, trade, or business activities within the country.
However, today, foreigners residing in the country on tourist visas are illegally running restaurants, hotels, surfing training centers, gem businesses, and other small and medium scale enterprises in major tourist zones such as Colombo, Ella, Weligama, Arugam Bay, and Mirissa. As a result, local business owners and self-employed Sri Lankans face severe injustice.
No Special Mechanism to Detect Illegal Employment!
The official response provided by the Department of Immigration and Emigration to request RTI 138/2025 submitted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act clearly reveals this unsafe situation in the country. To the question: “Is there a special mechanism to identify foreigners engaged in illegal employment on tourist visas?”, the response from the Department of Immigration and Emigration was “No.”
This confirms that the Department possesses no specialized method or formal investigation mechanism to identify foreigners working or doing business illegally using tourist visas. Furthermore, it has been stated that no complaints have been received by the Department regarding individuals establishing fake companies to obtain Business Visas to reside in the country.
Statistics of Deported Foreigners (Official RTI Data)
According to the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the official statistics of Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals who were removed or deported from the country between January 01, 2023, and December 31, 2025, are as follows:
Deportations of Chinese Nationals Up by 747%!
Looking at the above official data reveals a very serious trend. Accordingly, the number of Chinese nationals deported in 2023 was 17. In 2024, it rose to 21. However, in 2025, the number of deported Chinese nationals spiked drastically to 144. The majority among them represent only those apprehended during raids conducted over computer crimes and other reasons.
Furthermore, between 2023 and 2025, the number of deported Chinese nationals surged by 747% (more than a fivefold increase). The fact that over 81.8% of the total 176 foreigners deported in 2025 were Chinese nationals indicates that a large number of individuals are residing in the country engaged in various unauthorized activities.
Safeguarding National Security and Local Businesses
The incident involving illegal firearms and abductions at Port City must be viewed together with the absence of a proper mechanism to identify foreigners engaged in illegal employment and business under the cover of tourist visas.
Foreign investments and tourists are vital for Sri Lanka. However, authorities must immediately formulate a proper inspection mechanism to track down foreigners who enter on tourist visas and violate the country’s legal system and visa conditions. Otherwise, not only will local business owners be deprived of their rights, but it will also be impossible to prevent the country from becoming a haven for foreign criminals.
