Amid reports of his possible return to Sri Lanka, the island nation’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to a local newspaper, has sought permanent residence in the US.
He is waiting to obtain a US “green card” to return and settle there with his wife and son, reports the Daily Mirror.
Highly placed sources said that Rajapaksa's lawyers in the US had already begun the procedure last month for his application to obtain the “green card” as he was eligible to apply due to his wife Ioma Rajapaksa being a US citizen.
The procedure will also now involve his lawyers in Colombo submitting the additional documents here in order to go ahead with the procedure.
The "green card" is an immigration visa that grants the holder an unlimited residence and work permit for the US.
In 2019, Rajapaksa renounced his US citizenship to contest the presidential polls in his homeland.
Sources said that three days ago, Rajapaksa had consulted his lawyers and had decided to return back to Sri Lanka later this month as he was not allowed the freedom to move in Thailand as initially expected, due to security concerns.
Rajapaksa will return to his homeland on August 24, Sri Lankan broadcaster Newsfirst reported on Wednesday, citing a former ambassador.
Sri Lanka's ruling party has asked the country's new president to provide security and other assistance for him, an official said on Thursday.
However, his successor Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier in the day said he was "not aware" of any such plans for the former president's return.
Rajapaksa flew to Singapore via the Maldives last month and quit as Sri Lanka's president, making way for Wickremesinghe to win a vote in parliament and take the top job.
Rajapaksa, who has been accused of mishandling the island nation's economy leading to its worst financial crisis in seven decades, is currently in Thailand for a temporary stay.
Upon his arrival in Bangkok, Thai police had advised the ousted President to remain indoors for security reasons. At the same time, the Thai government had made it clear to Rajapaksa that he should not engage in political activities while staying in the country.
A former military officer who took office after winning an election in 2019 by a landslide majority, Rajapaksa is the first Sri Lankan president to quit mid-term.
His resignation followed widespread protests in the island nation of 22 million people, and came after thousands of people stormed the presidential residence and office in the commercial capital Colombo in early July.