The Ministry of Public Security announced significant disruptions in the issuance of visas in Sri Lanka following an interim order by the Supreme Court (SC).

Issuing a media statement, the Ministry's Secretary Viyani Gunathilaka, stated that only on-arrival visas can currently be issued, severely limiting the range of available visa types. Gunathilaka explained that the SC's interim order has made it impossible to issue visas under the previous system. 

He stated that as a result, the Government is now restricted to issuing only 30-day on-arrival visas. "Previously, 17 different types of visas were available, with durations of six months, two years, and three years. Contrary to claims made by a telephone company, there were no proposals to issue these types of visas," the statement read.

The SC issued its interim order to halt the Cabinet of Ministers' decision to outsource the visa application processing to a consortium led by GBS Technology Services, IVS Global FZCO, and VFS VF Worldwide Holdings Limited. This suspension will remain in effect until the related petitions are fully resolved. The Court has also directed the authorities to revert to the visa issuance system that was in place before the Cabinet's decision.

The interim order was issued by a three-Judge bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Kumudini Wickremasinghe, and Achala Wengappuli. The bench reviewed several Fundamental Rights petitions, including those filed by members of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance, President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, attorney Rauff Hakeem, and Patali Champika Ranawaka, as well as a petition from Transparency International Sri Lanka.