Board of Investment launches online visa recommendation system

From left- K. W. Elapatha, Deputy Controller (Visa), Department of Immigration and Emigration, BOI Director General Renuka M. Weerakone, Lt Col Asanka Karunarathna from Ministry of Defence,   Jatinder Biala, Chairman Free Trade Zone Manufacturers’ Association and Niranjali Weerasekera, Asst. Secretary General Joint Apparel Association Forum  Sri Lanka (JAAF). 
Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

The Board of Investment (BOI) yesterday announced the completion of the integration of the visa recommendation system which was established with the aim of further accelerating its digital transformation.

The system was formulated by the BOI in coordination with the Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Ministry of Defence to provide online visa recommendation for potential investors visiting Sri Lanka and all the enterprises that fall under the purview of the BOI.

Previously, investor s and enterprises were able to submit the visa application online and obtain the approved application from the BOI. For this, the investors were required to make three physical visits to the BOI head office. With the integration with the Department of Immigration, the process is made seamless.

Under the newly launched system, visa recommendations will be granted under three visa categories; entry visas, residence visas, and extending visas.

Eligible applicants for the service are: investors, employees, dependents of the investor, and selected employees.
 Investors can also monitor the online portal and review the status of the process. Upon the completion of the process, the applicants will be notified via an SMS and email alert after which they will be able to obtain the required visa.

 “The implementation of the online visa recommendation system is yet another milestone in the journey of digitizing the entire investor experience to ensure seamless delivery of services to investors,” said BOI Director General Renuka M Weerakone, commenting on the system.

 With the new online system, the BOI said the  inconveniences faced by the investors/enterprises will be trimmed and the digital transformation of work with the respective line agencies and ministries will be further strengthened.