The decision to switch back to normal visa processing will be made by the Public Security Ministry today (05) following the examination of the order issued by the Supreme Court (SC), according to Public Security Ministry Secretary Viyani Gunathilaka.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Gunathilaka said that the ministry would receive the court order tomorrow and that the decision to switch back from the new e-visa to the normal visa processing would be taken after examining the order.
“Applications that have already been sent to VFS will be processed. We will have to return to our normal visa processing system if the SC order says so. We haven’t seen the order yet,” he said.
On Friday (2), the SC issued an interim order halting the Cabinet’s decision to outsource visa application processing to the consortium led by GBS Technology Services, IVS Global FZCO, and VFS VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd. This suspension will remain in effect until the petitions are fully resolved.
The court also directed the authorities to restore the status to how it was before the Cabinet decision was implemented.
This order was issued by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Kumudini Wickremasinghe, and Achala Wengappuli.
The bench considered several Fundamental Rights petitions, including one filed by Committee on Public Finance (COPF) members M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, Rauff Hakeem, and Patali Champika Ranawaka, as well as another from Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).
These petitions challenged the procedural violations and misuse of public trust by officials in the procurement process for private entities managing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for tourist visas to Sri Lanka.
The petitioners have named Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, Ministry Secretary Gunathilaka, the Cabinet of Ministers, and other officials as respondents.
VFS Global, headquartered in Zurich and Dubai and backed by Blackstone, the Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation, and EQT, collaborates with 67 governments and operates over 3,300 visa application centres in 151 countries. Since its founding in 2001, it has processed over 285 million visa applications.
In Sri Lanka, VFS Global has been active since 2004, managing visa applications for 23 governments, including major countries and Schengen states. It operates six visa centres in Colombo and Jaffna and has processed over 3.2 million applications.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration had recently entered into a tripartite agreement with GBS Technology Services and IVS Global FZCO as the prime contractor and VFS Global as the technology partner for the new e-visa system, replacing the previous ETA process.
The cost of Sri Lanka’s visa fees has significantly increased with the introduction of the new e-visa system.
The new system added an $ 18.50 service charge to each visa and the single-entry $ 50 visa for 30 days, which was the least expensive option, has been discontinued. Previously, a double-entry visa cost $ 50 ($ 30 for South Asia) plus a $ 1 processing fee through the ETA portal, but now, the cost on the VFS Global website has risen to $ 100.77, including an $ 18.50 service charge and a $ 7.27 ‘convenience fee’.
(themorning.lk)
