India or Sri Lanka
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| India | Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 12 years | — |
| Partner can work | — | no |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | 2 | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | 30 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 782 · estimate | $ 563 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 14,2 | $ 28,7 |
| Life expectancy | 72.23 | 77.67 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.72 | 2.51 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 7.8 | 3.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: India — 17, Sri Lanka — 24. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and repatriation. Sri Lanka adds: remote work, talent and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
India: the fee is 100 INR wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 1; the shortest is 30 days. Sri Lanka: fees range from 100 to 1,000 USD. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes stating an income threshold: 8; the lowest is 1,500 USD a year.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: India with no residence period; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: India after 12 years; the other country publishes no term. Sri Lanka allows a second citizenship, India does not.
India in brief
India is the world's second-most-populous labour market, with high demand for skilled IT and engineering professionals and a globally low cost of living: rent and utility payments are several times lower than in Europe, even in the largest cities. The work visa is rigidly tied to the employer — it cannot be changed without leaving the country — and is issued only for an annual salary above 1,625,000 rupees, except for a few exempt categories. There is no general mechanism for permanent residence by length of stay: status is renewed through annual work visas via the FRRO, and Permanent Residency Status (PRS) is granted only to foreign investors who invest at least 10 crore rupees. Naturalisation requires about 12 years of residence in the country, and dual citizenship is not allowed. The northern plain suffers from smog in winter, while the coastal and mountain regions suffer from monsoon flooding and earthquakes. The country's five largest cities differ sharply in character: from the financial capital Mumbai and the technology cluster Bangalore to the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Jaipur and Agra.
Sri Lanka in brief
Sri Lanka is an island state in the Indian Ocean; the country's de jure capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where parliament sits, but the neighbouring city of Colombo remains the economic, business and diplomatic centre. The Department of Immigration and Emigration operates 16 residence visa categories: among those in force are the Employment Category Residence Visa (including projects approved by the Board of Investment, BOI), the investor visa (from USD 100,000 for 5 years, or from USD 200,000 for 10 years) and the newly introduced digital nomad visa with an income threshold from USD 2,000 a month; the Resident Guest Scheme and My Dream Home programmes are closed to new applicants and allow only renewal by existing holders. No separate route to permanent residence or to citizenship by length of residence for a foreigner without Sri Lankan origin has been found in the authority's published materials, other than marriage to a Sri Lankan citizen (Permanent Residence Visa, category (b)); dual citizenship is available on application, but it is addressed to persons who already held or currently hold Sri Lankan citizenship. Bringing in dogs and cats requires a veterinary certificate and the statutory minimum 30-day quarantine. On the INFORM scale the country's tsunami risk is rated at 8.0 out of 10 — relevant for the coastal cities of the southern and eastern coasts, which were affected by the 2004 disaster.
Other comparisons
India or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Sri Lanka or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: India · Sri Lanka. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.