Expo offers free visa application services to persons with disabilities

Expo Visa Services, a subsidiary of Expolanka Holdings, in a bid to extend a practical helping hand to persons with disabilities, has reached out to the Specialised Training and Disability Resource Centre of the Employers' Federation of Ceylon ( EFC) to provide free visa application services to persons with disabilities seeking foreign training opportunities.

Accordingly, Expo Visa Services will provide all visa related services to persons with disabilities through EFC free of charge except for the visa processing fees charged by embassies.

“Visa application process to most countries requires a lot of complicated documentation, online submissions as well as in person visits to submit applications and collect visa. The entire process can be cumbersome to someone with disabilities. Hence, we wished to step forward to make life a little easier for them. We hope to provide them with hassle free services and offer all the necessary guidance to obtain visa for career advancement purposes,” said Chanaka Rajaratne, Head of EVS, in a media release.

Expo Visa Services will facilitate the entire visa application process from filling applications, documentation, collecting and delivering documents, embassy submission and accompanying applicants to their visa submissions where necessary. The company will also provide other services such as attestation, translations and more importantly door to door services.

“At the moment, visa application is a stressful process to persons with disabilities. Lack of proper guidance is one of the main setbacks they face during the entire process. We are grateful to Expo Visa Services for offering their expert services. Guidance from a professional and dedicated entity will make a world of difference to individuals with disabilities in their attempts to obtain visa and uplift their lifestyles,” noted Ms. Manique Gunaratne, Manager – Specialised Training and Disability Resource Centre - EFC.

The EFC’s Employers’ Network on Disability is one of the oldest Disability Networks in the world. The organisation commenced services in 2000 with the backing of 12 founding companies. Today, with the assistance of 60 companies the organisation works on helping persons with disabilities to find gainful employment. The organisation strives to end marginalisation of persons with disabilities by empowering them through mainstream employment and training opportunities, the release said.