SL placed among worst countries for visa free travel
July 4, 2014
Sri Lanka has been included in the worst 20 nations for visa free travel by the latest Henley and Partners Visa Restrictions Index, according to a news report in The Independent newspaper published in the UK yesterday.
Sri Lanka has been placed at No 9 of 20 nations; namely Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Eritrea, Nepal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kosovo, Syria, South Sudan, Libya, DR Congo, Myanmar, Iran, Djibouti, Angola and North Korea.
Finland, Sweden and the UK top the list with 173 countries granting their nationals visa-free or visa-on-arrival access. On 172, the U.S. comes second along with Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg.
Developed in cooperation with Canada’s International Air Transport Association, the U.K.-based annual index is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom their citizens enjoy. The 2014 survey investigated a total of 219 destination countries and territories, and was created based on regulations valid July 1, 2013.
The top 20 nations for visa-free travel are Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, United States, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland.
But a Lankan who had travelled widely said it was smooth sailing in the above countries only if you were primarily from a white skinned nation, but for others even with visas it was second grade treatment.The study by residence and citizenship planning group Henley & Partners found the other EU countries in the top ten are Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.
The organisation has been producing an annual Visa Restrictions Index since 2006, to represent the freedom of travel for passport holders, as well as the international relations and status of countries.
Countries rising up the table - which asserts that there are 219 countries in the world - include South Korea, which is now placed 24th with 166, Malta in 27th with 163, and Hong Kong at 35th with 152.
Other countries improving their scores this year are St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and India.
The Independent quoted a Henley & Partners spokesman having said: ‘In today’s globalized world, visa restrictions are an important tool for governments to control the movement of foreign nationals across borders. Visas are a standard requirement for most countries as certain non-nationals wish to enter their territory. At the same time, visa requirements or the lack thereof, are also an indication of the relationship between individual nations and the status of a country within the international community of nations.
