Hi there – 55 year old and family thinking of retiring to Sri Lanka – seeks advice!
I was born in New Zealand, lived most of my adult life in Australia, have been living in India for the last 12 years and am just contemplating moving to Sri Lanka (as the Indian Govt. has changed the visa rules to discourage foreigners from residing in India on long-term tourist visas).
I’m wondering if anyone here has personal experience of the Sri Lankan Government’s relatively new scheme – I think it was introduced August year before last (2008). The program is called “Sri Lanka – My Dream Home” and it is intended to bring retirees to live in Lanka. You have to have a pension/fixed income of US$1,500 per month for the main applicant, and $750 per month for the spouse or any dependant. You also have to deposit $US15,000 in a Sri Lankan account (you can access the interest, and the amount is refundable if you leave – tho’ you have to make an application to get it back.) The other requirements are also not very onerous.
I wonder if anyone here knows what it’s like to apply – how helpful are the NGO who have been tasked with making the program work.
I’ve been to Lanka a number of times, but never for more than a couple of weeks at a time. It’s a beautiful place, and now that the civil war seems to finally be over, it might be a very good place to retire!
Any personal experiences? (Anyone who has lived in Lanka under other circumstances I would also be very interested to hear something of your experiences, but it’s the My Dream Home scheme I’m particularly enquiring about.) Thanx folks!
I was born in New Zealand, lived most of my adult life in Australia, have been living in India for the last 12 years and am just contemplating moving to Sri Lanka (as the Indian Govt. has changed the visa rules to discourage foreigners from residing in India on long-term tourist visas).
I’m wondering if anyone here has personal experience of the Sri Lankan Government’s relatively new scheme – I think it was introduced August year before last (2008). The program is called “Sri Lanka – My Dream Home” and it is intended to bring retirees to live in Lanka. You have to have a pension/fixed income of US$1,500 per month for the main applicant, and $750 per month for the spouse or any dependant. You also have to deposit $US15,000 in a Sri Lankan account (you can access the interest, and the amount is refundable if you leave – tho’ you have to make an application to get it back.) The other requirements are also not very onerous.
I wonder if anyone here knows what it’s like to apply – how helpful are the NGO who have been tasked with making the program work.
I’ve been to Lanka a number of times, but never for more than a couple of weeks at a time. It’s a beautiful place, and now that the civil war seems to finally be over, it might be a very good place to retire!
Any personal experiences? (Anyone who has lived in Lanka under other circumstances I would also be very interested to hear something of your experiences, but it’s the My Dream Home scheme I’m particularly enquiring about.) Thanx folks!
