Sri Lanka’s newly-elected government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has restored the country’s old visa system, adhering to a recent Supreme Court order that suspended a controversial new portal managed by a consortium including an Indian company.
The announcement was made late on Thursday, almost two months after the country’s top court directed immigration authorities to revert to the online platform that was in use before the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration switched to the new system, roping in GBS Technology Services, the India-registered IVS Global Services, and VFS Global. In April this year, the Wickremesinghe government opted for the new system. Following the move, Sri Lanka’s visa fee nearly doubled, sparking concern within the island nation’s tourism industry, a key foreign exchange earner.
“The visa facility provided by VFS Global has caused significant difficulties for many. Specially, foreigners arriving in Sri Lanka experienced considerable challenges in obtaining their visa,” Minister of Public Security Vijitha Herath said.
In July, three prominent opposition parliamentarians M.A. Sumanthiran, Rauff Hakeem, and Champika Ranawaka moved the Supreme Court against the government for allegedly “aiding and perpetrating a multi-billion-dollar scam” in bringing in the new system. Corruption watchdog Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), too, filed a Fundamental Rights petition calling for action against “procedural violations and abuse of public trust” by officials in the procurement of private entities to handle the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system.
Interim order
On August 2, the Supreme Court issued an Interim Order suspending the Cabinet decision approving new online and expat visa operations in Sri Lanka. Consequent to the court order, authorities were expected to restore the old visa system with immediate effect. On Wednesday, Department of Immigration and Emigration chief Harsha Ilukpitiya was arrested for failing to act on the Supreme Court’s decision for over a month after its ruling.
Sri Lanka recorded over 2 lakh tourist arrivals every month until the shift to the new via system in April this year, after which numbers dipped, data published by the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority showed. Over 13 lakh tourists have visited Sri Lanka until August 2024, bringing in more than $2 billion in revenue. Indian tourists are among those exempted from a visa fee. They are expected to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arriving in Sri Lanka, a note on the visa portal said.
(Meera Srinivasan is The Hindu correspondent in Colombo)
