Minister of Public Security Vijitha Herath announced on last Thursday that all foreign nationals arriving at Sri Lanka will once again be able to apply for visas under the old system, starting at midnight on September 26.
The Minister stated the controversy surrounding the issuance on arrival visas and said that the government was acting quickly to resolve the issues.
“Many visitors have had serious issues as a result of the visa provision offered by VFS Global. When arriving in Sri Lanka, foreign nationals encountered numerous challenges getting their visas. In response, the Ministry of Public Security has stepped in and resumed the earlier method of issuing visas in accordance with a court decision. Foreign nationals can apply online starting at midnight on Thursday for visas, which will be processed within 24 hours. This is a significant improvement” forward, said Herath.
“Following a court ruling, Sri Lanka reinstates its previous visa system.”
He announced that the government has followed a recent court decision and conferred with the Attorney General. A new visa scheme introduced by the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration was placed on hold by an interim ruling issued by the Supreme Court on August 2. An Indian company was part of the consortium that had been running this new system.
In addition, we have started a forensic audit right once to look into any anomalies related to VFS Global. If any irregularities are found, subsequent legal action will be taken. As a result, persons working in the commercial and investment sectors would now be able to utilise the same visa privileges, Herath added.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka moved to a new visa portal in April of this year, which is run by a consortium that includes GBS Technology Services, IVS Global Services, which is based in India, and VFS Global. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, which was previously operated by the state-run telecom company Mobitel, was terminated as a result of this modification. Notably, the Ministry of External Affairs in India maintains ties with both GBS Technology and IVS Global Services, which manage document authentication and processing for several Indian missions. Applications for Indian visas from Sri Lankan citizens are also handled by IVS Global.
