Abstract:
The reintegration of returnee migrant workers in Sri Lanka is a highly challenging process. The
overall reintegration program requires strong national and local capacities to deliver services
and to harness the development impact of return migration. Therefore, any ad-hoc attempt to
do the reintegration may create scepticism among returnees. Programmes should consider
satisfaction of migrants' needs in each of the phases (pre-departure, departures, on-arrival and
in-service) of their return process, as well as the needs and potentials of communities after
return. Reintegration has two interrelated aspects, namely socio-cultural and the economic.
Without socio-cultural reintegration, the economic reintegration will be a nightmare. Sociocultural
learning that migrant workers espoused at the countries that they were working may
change the behaviour and lifestyle of them. This newly acquired values and lifestyle is costly
if they are trying to maintain the same after returning to the motherland. It may erode the
accumulated capital (savings from earnings) jeopardizing the potentials for investing in an
income-earning avenue creating detrimental impacts to economic reintegration. Further, new
value systems may prevent them to do some activities that are economically and socially
beneficial.
