Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Illukpitiya yesterday said that no private company has been given authority to issue visa to foreign tourists entering the country.
Illukpitiya when asked as to whether a private company has been delegated the authority to issue visa to foreign tourists entering the country said that VFS-IVS GBS companies are involved in processing the visa applications of tourists to department online.
He said that this system will bring new impetus to the tourism industry and it will also help achieve the target of one million tourists to the country a year.
“This system has been introduced with an intention of promoting the tourism sector.They have agreed to bring 5 million tourists a year,” he said.
Illukpitiya said the department has full authority in issuing visa and the its duty has not been delegated to a third party at all.
Upali Karunaratne