High Commissioners of Australia and UK open new Visa Application Centre in Colombo

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Bryce Hutchesson and British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris opening the new Visa Application Centre in Colombo at 75, Arnold Ratnayake Mawatha, Colombo 10. Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama and Controller General of Immigration and Emigration M.N. Ranasinghe are also present

The High Commissioners of Australia and the UK to Sri Lanka formally inaugurated VFS Global’s new Visa Application Centre (VAC) yesterday. 

The new VAC is located in Arnold Ratnayake Mawatha and offers customers a larger application centre and more appointments slots. This will make the process of applying for UK and Australian visas quicker and easier for customers. The VAC will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris said: “The opening of this new Visa Application Centre is an exciting development for us in Sri Lanka. UK Visas and Immigration continues to make improvements to the visa service we offer to our Sri Lankan customers, to make it quicker and more straightforward for them to apply for visas. Our local partner, VFS Global, has opened this new Visa Application Centre for applicants for British visas in response to increasing demand for visit visas.

“We continue to make improvements to the visa service. This year we have introduced a new visit visa application form which is quicker and simpler to fill out. The form is available in Sinhalese and Tamil to help ensure that all of our Sri Lankan customers can properly understand our visa application requirements.” 

The Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Bryce Hutchesson said: “This new Visa Application Centre will continue to assist the Australian Government manage more than 25,000 visa applications lodged in Sri Lanka each year. Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection and VFS are working to make the Australian visa lodgement process a convenient and comfortable experience for travellers from Sri Lanka. These new arrangements will facilitate the smooth flow of ever increasing numbers of visa applicants and enhance the client experience.”

VFS Global Chief Operating Officer – South Asia Vinay Malhotra said: “I am delighted to welcome applicants to this new state-of-the-art facility, the objective of which is to improve the overall experience and quality of visa services for residents of Sri Lanka travelling to Australia and the United Kingdom. As both destinations continue grow in popularity, we believe this centre can provide travellers with every comfort during their visa application process, ensuring a smooth start to their travel experience. VFS Global is also privileged to share a longstanding relationship with the Government of Australia (that we serve in 23 countries), and the Government of the United Kingdom (that we serve in 56 countries), and I am thankful to our embassy partners for their cooperation in launching this centre.”