What happened
Until the end of January 2026 Colombo was the fastest consulate in the whole system: refusals were a rarity in our records, and decisions came back within one to seven days. Applicants flew in on the ETA electronic authorisation, sat a short in-person interview and left with a five-year visa.
On 30 January 2026 — a day our database records as “Colombo’s Black Friday” — the consulate issued a mass run of refusals in a single day. The trigger, by every sign, was a viral wave on social media: “flying to Sri Lanka for a DTV” clips featuring applicants whose actual line of work had nothing to do with remote employment. After that day it was approvals that became the rarity, and by spring filings had all but stopped.
The full chronicle is in the journal: “The Colombo Chronicle”.
What it means
Colombo is the sharpest reminder of what DTV consular routes really are: a consulate can change its policy in twenty-four hours, with no announcement and no transition period. That is exactly why we keep the consulate board live — timings and rules that held a month ago may mean nothing now.
Who this consulate is open to
Practically no one: there have been no new approvals here since the spring of 2026. The working routes are on the live board.