• Local processing will cost $ 1 per visa: SLIEOA 
• Govt. looks at continuing with VFS Global’s operations; talks with TU on Wed.

A total of 100 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) officials have been trained to act as border controllers in the event of immigration and emigration officials refusing to perform their duties at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), The Sunday Morning reliably learns.

Sources told The Sunday Morning that operations of VFS Global would continue without change as per a Cabinet decision to entrust local visa handling to a third-party company.

The official Sri Lankan eVisa website notes Sri Lanka’s transition from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to the new eVisa scheme, exclusively operated by IVS-GBS and VFS Global. 

On Wednesday (1), a video went viral on social media showing a disgruntled passenger whose partner had been denied a visa.

Addressing recent allegations regarding visa issuance, Presidential Secretariat International Affairs Director Dinouk Colombage denied the claims.

“The recent allegations that the visa approval process for foreigners has been handed over to a private company are completely false,” he stated.

Colombage clarified that, as per a Cabinet decision last year, VFS Global had been selected to process on-arrival visa applications before handing them over to an on-duty immigration officer at the airport for final approval.

VFS Global operates in over 150 countries worldwide. Sri Lankans obtaining visas for numerous countries, including the UK and Australia, must be processed by VFS.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association (SLIEOA) expressed willingness to handle visa processing for an additional payment as low as $ 1.

SLIEOA Secretary K.P. Manawadu questioned the delegation of visa operations to VFS Global, which charged $ 18.50 per visa, when their officers were willing to provide the service at a significantly lower cost.

Manawadu noted that SLIEOA officers had been handling on-arrival visa processing operations since 2012 without issues or additional fees. He also questioned the rationale behind outsourcing to VFS Global when the SLIEOA could provide the service at a lower cost.

Regarding the change, Manawadu stated that they had not been officially briefed and that VFS had started online services on 17 April and on-arrival services at the BIA on 1 May. However, SLIEOA officers have now resumed operations at the BIA as VFS has temporarily stepped away.

“We have now been asked to come in for a discussion with the department on Wednesday (8),” Manawadu added. “As far as we know, there wasn’t an issue with the previous ETA system. We ensured its smooth operation in December 2023 too during the peak tourism season.”

However, a senior immigration officer who wished to remain anonymous stated that protests had been lodged in early April against the decision, as officials had not been informed before its launch.

“We are not against VFS or any private company, but before handing over the operation they should have informed the officials and conducted a trial period to evaluate the pros and cons,” the officer stressed.

Attempts by The Sunday Morning to contact Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, and Public Security Ministry Secretary Viyani Gunathilaka regarding the procurement process proved futile.

Responding to the allegations, the Indian High Commission in Colombo last week clarified that VFS Global was not an Indian company.