COLOMBO, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a move to replace the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No. 20 of 1948, the government announced on Tuesday.

Dark clouds loom over the sky in Colombo on August 8, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

The new Immigration Bill will be gazetted before it is submitted to Parliament for approval, the government said.

The bill also includes provisions linked to Sri Lanka's planned electronic passport system, including the incorporation of biometric data into passport chips.

The government said the legislation was revised after an earlier bill lapsed following the dissolution of Parliament in 2024.