COLOMBO, SRI LANKA – The Sri Lanka Supreme Court has halted the Cabinet’s plan to outsource visa application processing. This decision affects the agreement involving GBS Technology Services, IVS Global-FZCO, and VFS VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd.
On Friday, Justices P. Padman Surasena, Kumudini Wickremasinghe, and Achala Wengappuli suspended the Cabinet’s 12-year agreement. The court has ordered that the previous visa processing system be maintained, effective from April 16 this year, until a final decision is made.
Court responds to public petitions
The suspension came after several Fundamental Rights petitions were reviewed. These petitions were filed by Committee on Public Finance (COPF) members M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, Rauff Hakeem, and Patali Champika Ranawaka, along with Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).
They argued that officials in the procurement process for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for tourist visas had procedural violations and misused public trust.
VFS Global has since clarified that it only handles administrative and non-judgmental tasks related to the applications. The Department of Immigration and Emigration retains sole authority to approve or deny visas.
Impact on visa processing and fees
The Department of Immigration and Emigration had recently signed an agreement with GBS Technology Services and IVS Global FZCO as the main contractors, and VFS Global as the technology partner for the new e-visa system.
This system replaced the previous one managed by SLT-Mobitel, a government-owned entity, and significantly increased visa fees.
VFS Global collaborates with 68 governments and operates over 3,300 visa application centers in 153 countries. Since its founding in 2001, it has processed over 292 million visa applications.
In Sri Lanka, VFS Global has managed visa applications for 23 governments, including major countries and Schengen states, since 2004.
