ECONOMYNEXT – VFS Global, a partner in a consortium that carried out online visa service for Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration has issued a statement after the island’s National Audit Office released a special report on the deal.
The report said the VFS-IVS-GBS group that charged fees from tourists had not remitted at least 1.245 million dollars of value added tax and 127,970 social security levy charged from visa applicants.
Visa and extra fees had been charged from tourists who were supposed to be exempt. Hundreds of SAARC region travellers who were supposed to get reduced priced visas had been overcharged, the audit report said.
There was also a discrepancy between the visas issued and the fees remitted to the government, the report said.
Meanwhile VFS Global in its statement said it had offered to co-operate with the audit but had received no response.
“Although no response was received from the Office of the Auditor General on this communication, VFS remains committed to offering its full support to the Office of the Auditor General or any other relevant authority of the Sri Lankan government as and when it is asked for,” the statement said.
VFS said it was a technical partner to the e-visa outsourcing scheme.
The full statement is reproduced below:
VFS Global statement
VFS Global is a leading outsourcing and technology specialist managing the visa application service and other services on behalf of our client governments. VFS Global is involved exclusively in the administrative and non-judgemental part of the process, working as per stringent SLAs and rules of each individual client government.
VFS Global is not in any way involved in the judgemental / assessment part of the process. Having commenced operations in 2001, we are today, a trusted partner of 69 governments who we serve across over 165 countries. We have been operating in Sri Lanka for over two decades now.
Considering the captioned matter is sub-judice, V F Worldwide Holdings Ltd (VFS Global) is advised to make its representation to an appropriate forum as necessary.
However, given certain media reports consequent to the “Special Audit Report on the Online Visa Issuance Methodology of the Department of Immigration and Emigration” dated 3RD October 2025, we make this limited statement.
GBS Technology Services & IVS Global FZCO (IVS-GBS), V F Worldwide Holdings Ltd (VFS Global) and the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka entered into an outsourcing Agreement dated 21st December 2023 for the provision of eVisa and other related services. As per the terms of this Agreement VFS Global had a limited role as technical partner with IVS-GBS as the prime contractor.
Globally VFS is deeply committed to transparency and integrity with all its client governments and has accordingly complied fully with the instructions of the competent authorities of Sri Lanka in good faith.
As soon as we came to know that an Audit is to be conducted, VFS Global addressed a communication to the Office of the Auditor General on 7th November 2024 offering to provide full support and any information which may be required. Although no response was received from the Office of the Auditor General on this communication, VFS remains committed to offering its full support to the Office of the Auditor General or any other relevant authority of the Sri Lankan government as and when it is asked for.
VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd
Continue Reading
The post Windforce says lowest bidder for one 50MW Sri Lanka wind plant appeared first on Veritas News.
