- New online system
Sri Lanka is planning to introduce new types of visas and an online application and processing system by next month, The Sunday Morning learns.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles told The Sunday Morning that changes to visa rules and regulations would happen soon, once Parliament approval was obtained.
According to Alles, the changes have been sent to Parliament and approval will be obtained by 24 April, after which they will be implemented. “A number of measures will be changed, including the relaxation of visa fees and changes to the visa period,” he said.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Immigration and Emigration Controller General H.J. Ilukpitiya said: “We are introducing a new online system by the end of this month. New types of visas will also be introduced along with it.”
Public Security Ministry Secretary Viyani Goonetilleke also confirmed that technical changes were happening with regard to permanent visas in Sri Lanka.
However, The Sunday Morning learns that while these changes are being implemented, some who wish to obtain their long-term residence visas are facing barriers, which have left many facing confusion and uncertainty.
Responding to these claims, Ilukpitiya said: “The issuance of visas hasn’t been stopped.”
Recent changes
The past six months have seen a spate of changes to visa regulations in the country.
In October 2023, the Ministry of Tourism announced that travellers from seven countries – China, Russia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan – could enter Sri Lanka visa-free until 31 March in an effort to boost cultural and religious tourism.
Under this scheme, tourists were permitted a 30-day free visa period and a double-entry facility within 30 days from the date of first arrival to Sri Lanka.
In January, the Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Benin on visa exemptions for diplomatic, official, and service passport holders, allowing for a 30-day stay without a prior visa.
Also in January the Government introduced the new Nomad visa for foreigners who wish to work remotely from Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Board of Investment (BOI) Director General Renuka M. Weerakone outlined the key changes that had occurred for BOI investors last year: “We have had our discussions with Immigration and we currently offer five-year visas for CEOs, shareholders, and top management of BOI companies. From our perspective, this has been sufficient. This was the result of fruitful discussions and we adopted this five-year policy last year.”
Forthcoming changes
Earlier this year, Immigration and Emigration Controller General Ilukpitiya announced that steps would be taken to relax the visa procedures in the country. The Immigration and Emigration Department had made this decision following a complete review of all visa-related procedures in Sri Lanka.
Reports show that the following changes may be implemented:
- Allow foreign students to complete their studies in Sri Lanka with a one-time payment instead of renewing visas annually
- An ‘Investment’ visa category to replace existing visa categories such as the ‘Golden Paradise,’ ‘Condominium,’ ‘Resident Guest,’ and ‘My Dream Home’
- A new residence visa category for Colombo Port City Economic Commission expat staff, including for their dependents – spouses and children
- A new residence visa category for foreign spouses of Sri Lankan nationals, including their parents and dependents
- A new residence visa category to restore Sri Lankan citizenship that has lapsed, including for dependent children, foreign parents, and widows
Current situation
Currently, Sri Lanka provides residence visas for non-Sri Lankans to obtain residence facilities for special purposes under 13 categories:
- Employment
- Investor
- Religious
- Educational
- Personnel attached to NGOs/INGOs
- Registered Indians covered by the 1954 Indo-Lanka Accord
- Ex-Sri Lankans and dependents
- Family members of a Sri Lankan (spouse and dependents)
- Diplomatic and official visa
- Medical visa
- Court visa
- ‘My Dream Home’ visa programme
- ‘Resident Guest’ visa programme
Under these 13 categories, notable sub categories include ‘Golden Paradise’ visa for investors with a deposit of minimum $ 200,000 in any Licensed Commercial Bank (LCB) recognised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), ‘Direct Investment’ visas for investments of at least $ 300,000 for up to five years, and ‘Investments in a Condominium Property’.
Beyond BOI projects
Oversight Committee on Exports and FDI Member and Centre for a Smart Future Director Anushka Wijesinha said that smarter immigration policy had an important role to play in complementing other policies in driving economic transformation, especially export diversification, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and innovation.
“We were able to show this during our work with the Harvard Kennedy School back in 2016-2017,” he added, highlighting that immigration was a mechanism for know-how transfer across countries.
“For Sri Lanka it becomes important to transfer know-how in order to move up the development ladder. I am not sure what the latest visa reforms are, but I hope they prioritise making it easier for skilled migration to Sri Lanka. We really need to be more friendly on this front to attract talent that will partner with our people to create new things and forge new economic opportunities.
“FDI firms in Sri Lanka have constantly noted the bottlenecks in bringing in specialist talent to fill particular roles. We should also have pathways for foreigners who have invested here or who have set down roots here to get long-term residency in our country – we have been very insular and protectionist on this front so far. We have to change this notion that it is only through a BOI project that you get this pathway. There are plenty of innovative projects and firms in Sri Lanka that are not, and will never be, BOI projects,” he said.
He went on to explain that new visa reforms must consider the new ways in which foreign talent is engaging in Sri Lanka’s economic activities.
“While we liberalise these categories, the authorities must crack down on those who violate visa conditions by running seasonal tourism businesses on tourist visas. It creates a very uneven playing field and leads to tensions in tourist hotspots.”