This article briefly presents the history of Sri Lankan labor migration. It then considers government policies and labor relations in the main migration destination countries, examining identity politics in the Gulf's segmented labor market and exploring labor conditions abroad. The article sets forth the economic context in Sri lanka, examines the push factors for the current stream of transnational migration, and concludes with a discussion of the social consequences of migration for Sri Lanka and the families left at home. Throughout, emphasis falls on the political, economic, and social links that transnational migrants maintain with their homeland.