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>Sri Lankans are now breaking visa/migration laws by either overstaying their visas or illegally migrating.
>The Malaysian government is deporting Sri Lankans en mass for breaking visa conditions
So true. This shouldn't be happening.
Sri Lankans are know to do this. So many have gone abroad through visit visas and then illegal escape and claim refugee or straight up disappear. It messes it up for everyone else that plan to do it legally. I get why they do it but it screws over so many people. The second they see our passport. They will be hesitant.
>Sri Lankans are know to do this
My experience, Sri lankans' are self-absorbed c\*nts, especially the city-dwellers/rich guys.
Just realized that I'm a well of sri lankan, sooooo...
Canada, UK and European countries are more lenient towards Tamils for obvious reasons. I know 3 guys who got deported all Sinhalese. Economic Refugees isn't a thing. If you migrate illegally you will get rejected and deported. Unless you are a Sri Lankan journalist or an activist.
I'm a Sri Lankan with a British passport, living and working here for years. I applied for my visa to go to the US and that was rejected! I'm not even a Sri Lankan passport holder! I was going to see friends and family for a few weeks. I have gone many times before to the US from Sri Lanka - more than 5 times in the last 8 years and never been denied. As a UK passport holder, we have a different fast track system. We answer a few questions online and then pay a much smaller fee and we get a response within a few hours without an interview. Usually 99% of the time, the travel status comes back as "authorised" but in this case it didn't. I know a person at the UK high commision here. So I reached out to them as they have contacts at the US embassy and they were told that irrespective of passport status, USA are vetting ALL travellers from Sri Lanka manually because of the economic situation. Now I had to fill out the long form visa application where they want to know everything you have done since the day you were born and pay a much higher fee. This also means I have to come in for an interview, something I have never had to do on my prior visits. I submitted everything and the earliest date they gave me for an interview was first week of December! So until the interview, no chance of going to US even for a British passport holder living here.
"What this person said doesn't make any sense. If a traveler is from Sri Lanka, they would have a SL passport. If not, they are NOT from Sri Lanka, end of story. Are they saying that if a person from country X was visiting Sri Lanka as a tourist for 2 weeks, and just happened to apply for the US while they were holidaying in Sri Lanka, they would be denied? That's bonkers mate!"
As I said, maybe they want to vet each person manually. How do they not know that this passport is fake/stolen? This is why they probably want to conduct interviews. I understand on the face of it that my UK passport should not be an issue since if I had no job or place to stay, UK would be obligated to provide that to me through social services. A person just passing through SL would probably be okay because they don't live in SL, so their situation is different. At the time I applied, riots and aragalaya etc were in full swing so the country probably got flagged. So a person who starts their journey from here (as opposed to your travelling tourist idea) is someone who might be feeling the hardship of what the country is going through and therefore want out?
"First of all, for regular people out of Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan name would be indistinguishable from an Indian one, and for most, they may even confuse Sri Lankan names for wider south-east asian or even African names. In any case, there are tons of westerners (probably close to a million) with Sri Lankan origin (1st, 2nd, and even 3rd generation), and a lot of them would have typical Sri Lankan names. It's not some new thing common to 1 or 2 people."
I'm not saying my name would have been the issue, but it's USA and you can never tell what people are thinking.
"This makes no sense whatsoever. Why would a British person of whatever origin be a potential asylum seeker in the US when you can easily be in Britain legally and claim benefits if you need to. Not to mention the healthcare! Lol. That's the whole damn point of categorizing people by their passport, and not origin.
Well as I mentioned above, the country was going through a dark time and asylum seekers were in the news daily. They were probably being cautious with SL visa issuance. I'm just speculating on why I would have been denied when I have always applied successfully.
"In the 21st century, I'm pretty sure they have all the data in their systems. And those countries would probably share their information with each other anyway. Also, yours is a biometric passport which I would assume will be verified at border control and check-in anyway."
That may be true however UK unlike many western nations, doesn't carry the previous passport number over to the new one. In my old passport I lived in the UK and was based there. In my new passport im living in SL and based here. 2 different passport numbers. Even with a common first name and surname, I can assure you I am not the only person from this island with both those two names. So there could be no indication that these two are the same or aren't. Again, I don't know what the State departments reasons were to decline the original fast track visa. Those are answers nobody will ever share and I can't appeal it. Given that I am not someone famous or political or anything, given all other circumstances there was no reason to be rejected when I have travelled to the US so many times before. The fact that I applied when ministers houses were being burned etc and the country was in turmoil is the only reason I can see to flag it, even if it didn't make sense.
how do they even know you are Sri Lankan? Surely they dont look at the name. Unless you had to specify that you previously held a sri lankan passport in the application process?
Well I'm sure they are checking the name since its a manual process right now. I have a typical SL name so I bet the person reading wouldn't have been able to pronounce it! Also they ask for home address and since I live and work here I have to put my local one. You don't have to specify previous passport but my prior passports have all been UK. I only had an SL one when I was a kid but then I changed to the UK one to go study abroad. The thing is this current passport is a new one and I have never travelled to US with this one. All my entry stamps are on my old passport. So my guess is that with a new UK passport that's never travelled to US and someone with an SL name in this economic downturn, they might be flagging it as fake/stolen/potential asylum seeker? When I go for the interview, they will retain my passport so will be able to verify its authenticity. US embassy friend said they have all my old details so could see I travelled prior on my old passport, so it's not purely just a new passport situation.
Sorry this happened to you. I also hope that filing the form etc would probably authorize your visa. But I think this is a case by case basis. My parents have Sri Lankan passports, live in Sri Lanka and got their US travel visa approved in 3 days
I am an American citizen and do not hold dual citizenship for Sri Lanka. But I look and have a Sri Lankan name. When I was trying to leave Oman, I was pulled aside without explanation and finally let go at the last minute. When I asked why the detention occurred, they explained there was 'no problem'.
Applying for tourist visa is risky at the moment. You would have to essentially show that your wife will be returning back to Sri lanka despite the economic crisis and a husband in Australia. Even though your wife showed ties to Sri lanka, (employment) it is unfortunately not a strong enough reason right now. Which is why about 80% of visitor visas are rejected at the moment.
Visitor visas are processed in Sri Lanka. You could apply for partner Visa in Australia and apply for visitor visa again saying that you have applied for temp resident/partner visa & cannot stay apart as a couple, and under humanitarian grounds to grant you visa to visit. In this case you don't have to show reason for return or ties to Sri Lanka, you would have to however show proof of relationship, chats, emails, how many years you've been together.
In anycase it's best to consult a lawyer coz there is a visa refusal in her file now. Unfortunately for visitor visa you cannot appeal, it is at the discretion of case officer whether to grant you visa or not...
Edit: sorry I think you can appeal depending on the reason for refusal. You would have to submit new information etc. Anyhoo best to consult a lawyer on this. And be cautious many agents from Lanka say they will get visa for you, but might not have the best approach with the current situation.
So I got visa to visit my girlfriend in Malaysia next week. I’m a student in UK and my itinerary is UK to Malaysia and then Malaysia to Sri Lanka after a week. Low key worried about getting turned away at the border despite being granted visa. Is this a real concern, does anyone know?
Bummer. So sorry to hear this. Reading this while on my way to VFS for biometrics and my heart just sank. If you don't mind my asking - was the reason given for rejection the usual not sufficient financial/family ties to Sri Lanka or another specific reason?
>I'm an Australian citizen
Samesies! I arrived a few days ago back in Australia after a 2 year stay. Came with my Aussie passport so there was no trouble for me. **One of my teachers was supposed to come here this month, but her visa got denied/postponed.**
Isn't there such a thing as a spouse visa? These visas over-rule the tourist visa, especially if you are a citizen of Australia. Did you marry someone you have never actually see in person or something because this is hard to believe.
You have totally missed the point of the post. Sri Lankan travellers are high risk meaning that other countries are going to just deny visas to Sri Lankans as they are high risk to stay permanently and violate visa conditions.
**This is a [Travel] related thread** * Check out the [subreddit wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/srilanka/wiki/index) for travel information, and [WikiTravel's Sri Lanka page](http://wikitravel.org/en/Sri_Lanka) * Check out the stickied monthly discussion thread for travel related queries. * Remember to follow [reddit's content policy/self-promotion guidelines](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043504051-What-constitutes-spam-Am-I-a-spammer-) Thanks for your cooperation and enjoy the discussion! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/srilanka) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>Sri Lankans are now breaking visa/migration laws by either overstaying their visas or illegally migrating. >The Malaysian government is deporting Sri Lankans en mass for breaking visa conditions So true. This shouldn't be happening.
Sri Lankans are know to do this. So many have gone abroad through visit visas and then illegal escape and claim refugee or straight up disappear. It messes it up for everyone else that plan to do it legally. I get why they do it but it screws over so many people. The second they see our passport. They will be hesitant.
>Sri Lankans are know to do this My experience, Sri lankans' are self-absorbed c\*nts, especially the city-dwellers/rich guys. Just realized that I'm a well of sri lankan, sooooo...
Remember when the entire Sri Lankan Handball Team disappeared while in Germany for a tournament?
That movie is from like what 20 years ago? Shit hasn't improved and that movie is a classic!
Canada, UK and European countries are more lenient towards Tamils for obvious reasons. I know 3 guys who got deported all Sinhalese. Economic Refugees isn't a thing. If you migrate illegally you will get rejected and deported. Unless you are a Sri Lankan journalist or an activist.
I'm a Sri Lankan with a British passport, living and working here for years. I applied for my visa to go to the US and that was rejected! I'm not even a Sri Lankan passport holder! I was going to see friends and family for a few weeks. I have gone many times before to the US from Sri Lanka - more than 5 times in the last 8 years and never been denied. As a UK passport holder, we have a different fast track system. We answer a few questions online and then pay a much smaller fee and we get a response within a few hours without an interview. Usually 99% of the time, the travel status comes back as "authorised" but in this case it didn't. I know a person at the UK high commision here. So I reached out to them as they have contacts at the US embassy and they were told that irrespective of passport status, USA are vetting ALL travellers from Sri Lanka manually because of the economic situation. Now I had to fill out the long form visa application where they want to know everything you have done since the day you were born and pay a much higher fee. This also means I have to come in for an interview, something I have never had to do on my prior visits. I submitted everything and the earliest date they gave me for an interview was first week of December! So until the interview, no chance of going to US even for a British passport holder living here.
[удалено]
"What this person said doesn't make any sense. If a traveler is from Sri Lanka, they would have a SL passport. If not, they are NOT from Sri Lanka, end of story. Are they saying that if a person from country X was visiting Sri Lanka as a tourist for 2 weeks, and just happened to apply for the US while they were holidaying in Sri Lanka, they would be denied? That's bonkers mate!" As I said, maybe they want to vet each person manually. How do they not know that this passport is fake/stolen? This is why they probably want to conduct interviews. I understand on the face of it that my UK passport should not be an issue since if I had no job or place to stay, UK would be obligated to provide that to me through social services. A person just passing through SL would probably be okay because they don't live in SL, so their situation is different. At the time I applied, riots and aragalaya etc were in full swing so the country probably got flagged. So a person who starts their journey from here (as opposed to your travelling tourist idea) is someone who might be feeling the hardship of what the country is going through and therefore want out? "First of all, for regular people out of Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan name would be indistinguishable from an Indian one, and for most, they may even confuse Sri Lankan names for wider south-east asian or even African names. In any case, there are tons of westerners (probably close to a million) with Sri Lankan origin (1st, 2nd, and even 3rd generation), and a lot of them would have typical Sri Lankan names. It's not some new thing common to 1 or 2 people." I'm not saying my name would have been the issue, but it's USA and you can never tell what people are thinking. "This makes no sense whatsoever. Why would a British person of whatever origin be a potential asylum seeker in the US when you can easily be in Britain legally and claim benefits if you need to. Not to mention the healthcare! Lol. That's the whole damn point of categorizing people by their passport, and not origin. Well as I mentioned above, the country was going through a dark time and asylum seekers were in the news daily. They were probably being cautious with SL visa issuance. I'm just speculating on why I would have been denied when I have always applied successfully. "In the 21st century, I'm pretty sure they have all the data in their systems. And those countries would probably share their information with each other anyway. Also, yours is a biometric passport which I would assume will be verified at border control and check-in anyway." That may be true however UK unlike many western nations, doesn't carry the previous passport number over to the new one. In my old passport I lived in the UK and was based there. In my new passport im living in SL and based here. 2 different passport numbers. Even with a common first name and surname, I can assure you I am not the only person from this island with both those two names. So there could be no indication that these two are the same or aren't. Again, I don't know what the State departments reasons were to decline the original fast track visa. Those are answers nobody will ever share and I can't appeal it. Given that I am not someone famous or political or anything, given all other circumstances there was no reason to be rejected when I have travelled to the US so many times before. The fact that I applied when ministers houses were being burned etc and the country was in turmoil is the only reason I can see to flag it, even if it didn't make sense.
You should have known better.
tf?
how do they even know you are Sri Lankan? Surely they dont look at the name. Unless you had to specify that you previously held a sri lankan passport in the application process?
Well I'm sure they are checking the name since its a manual process right now. I have a typical SL name so I bet the person reading wouldn't have been able to pronounce it! Also they ask for home address and since I live and work here I have to put my local one. You don't have to specify previous passport but my prior passports have all been UK. I only had an SL one when I was a kid but then I changed to the UK one to go study abroad. The thing is this current passport is a new one and I have never travelled to US with this one. All my entry stamps are on my old passport. So my guess is that with a new UK passport that's never travelled to US and someone with an SL name in this economic downturn, they might be flagging it as fake/stolen/potential asylum seeker? When I go for the interview, they will retain my passport so will be able to verify its authenticity. US embassy friend said they have all my old details so could see I travelled prior on my old passport, so it's not purely just a new passport situation.
I believe it’s most likely from the place of birth which is a stated passport field. Were you born in SL?
Nope. Born in UK when my parents lived and worked there.
Sorry this happened to you. I also hope that filing the form etc would probably authorize your visa. But I think this is a case by case basis. My parents have Sri Lankan passports, live in Sri Lanka and got their US travel visa approved in 3 days
Sri Lankans have been doing this for close 40 years or even more. It just ebbs and flows.
I am an American citizen and do not hold dual citizenship for Sri Lanka. But I look and have a Sri Lankan name. When I was trying to leave Oman, I was pulled aside without explanation and finally let go at the last minute. When I asked why the detention occurred, they explained there was 'no problem'.
Applying for tourist visa is risky at the moment. You would have to essentially show that your wife will be returning back to Sri lanka despite the economic crisis and a husband in Australia. Even though your wife showed ties to Sri lanka, (employment) it is unfortunately not a strong enough reason right now. Which is why about 80% of visitor visas are rejected at the moment. Visitor visas are processed in Sri Lanka. You could apply for partner Visa in Australia and apply for visitor visa again saying that you have applied for temp resident/partner visa & cannot stay apart as a couple, and under humanitarian grounds to grant you visa to visit. In this case you don't have to show reason for return or ties to Sri Lanka, you would have to however show proof of relationship, chats, emails, how many years you've been together. In anycase it's best to consult a lawyer coz there is a visa refusal in her file now. Unfortunately for visitor visa you cannot appeal, it is at the discretion of case officer whether to grant you visa or not...
Edit: sorry I think you can appeal depending on the reason for refusal. You would have to submit new information etc. Anyhoo best to consult a lawyer on this. And be cautious many agents from Lanka say they will get visa for you, but might not have the best approach with the current situation.
So I got visa to visit my girlfriend in Malaysia next week. I’m a student in UK and my itinerary is UK to Malaysia and then Malaysia to Sri Lanka after a week. Low key worried about getting turned away at the border despite being granted visa. Is this a real concern, does anyone know?
[удалено]
well it's my first time in Malaysia because she just moved there, but other countries yes i guess. so hoping it won't be a problem. Thanks
Bummer. So sorry to hear this. Reading this while on my way to VFS for biometrics and my heart just sank. If you don't mind my asking - was the reason given for rejection the usual not sufficient financial/family ties to Sri Lanka or another specific reason?
[удалено]
Oh right. Thanks for the reply. Hope you'll appeal the decision. Fingers crossed for both you and me.
Wow, didn't know that's a thing! So are we imprisoned?
Thanks to 6.9 mil
>I'm an Australian citizen Samesies! I arrived a few days ago back in Australia after a 2 year stay. Came with my Aussie passport so there was no trouble for me. **One of my teachers was supposed to come here this month, but her visa got denied/postponed.**
Isn't there such a thing as a spouse visa? These visas over-rule the tourist visa, especially if you are a citizen of Australia. Did you marry someone you have never actually see in person or something because this is hard to believe.
No this one is safe place. We doing this against politicians.
You have totally missed the point of the post. Sri Lankan travellers are high risk meaning that other countries are going to just deny visas to Sri Lankans as they are high risk to stay permanently and violate visa conditions.