The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Romanian Embassy have jointly organized an awareness program at the Bureau’s headquarters, to address significant delays in issuing visas for Sri Lankans seeking employment in Romania.
Accordingly, the event was held on last Tuesday (January 28), supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, aimed to resolve the issues causing these delays.
Representatives from 164 registered employment agencies, responsible for sending Sri Lankan workers to Romania, participated in the program. Currently, 235 employment agencies in Sri Lanka are actively involved in facilitating employment in Romania.
Issuing a statement, the SLBFE said that Sri Lankans have been offered job opportunities in various sectors in Romania, but concerns have arisen over prolonged delays in the visa application process. The SLBFE was alerted to these delays by employment agencies, leading to communication with the Romanian Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Embassy cited two primary causes for the delays: incomplete documentation and failures during visa interviews.
In response, a discussion was held to address these concerns. The outcome of the discussions led to the organization of this awareness program, which focused on submitting complete visa applications and providing proper responses in English during visa interviews.
The statement further added that the SLBFE is optimistic that these efforts will help reduce visa delays in the future.
Additionally, the Bureau has announced plans to conduct special workshops for visa applicants to improve their English proficiency and interview readiness.
Key figures attending the event included SLBFE General Manager D.D.P. Senanayake, Additional General Managers Anura Liyanwala, P.P. Weerasekara, and Senarath Yapa, alongside Romanian Embassy representatives: Charge d’Affaires Mrs. Mihaela-Angela Rutjens and Consul Ms. Andrada-Raluca Filip. Several officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present.
