Dept of I & E more people-friendly

by Lalin FERNANDOPULLE

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has been transformed into a more people-friendly organisation providing a range of travel documentation services under one roof.

“Our aim is to transform this institution to be one of the best service oriented establishments in the country offering the highest customer satisfaction”, said Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, W.A. Chulananda Perera in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

He said public perception regarding the institution has changed tremendously due to the service conscious attitude of employees who are committed to give of their best.

“We have trained our staff to smile and be polite to people. The three A strategy; Ask, Accept and Adopt has helped a great deal to effect a change in attitudes and enhance efficiency of the institution”, Perera said. The Department of Immigration and Emigration is the premier institution providing a wide range of travel documentation related services in the country.

Issuing of passports, visas, citizenship and border management are functions vested in the institution. “The perception of the people regarding the institution is that it is highly corrupt and inefficient. We have changed this notion by enforcing strict discipline and bringing order to the place”, the Controller General said.

There are guides and directions to facilitate a speedy service. More accommodation facilities are provided and announcements are made often to inform people regarding their applications. The institution houses a cafeteria, internet cafe, facilities for photocopying, photographs and a range of other documentation related services.

“Yoga meditation, religious programs and customer care training are provided regularly to employees. Every employee is a public relations officer and there is no room for lapses in duty”, Perera said. The private-public partnership has helped raise the standard of service offered by the institution. Many private establishments offer services at the institution. Passports are issued on one-day and normal service basis. The time taken to issue passports has been a regular complaint and many suggestions have been made to cut on time.

“There are many procedures that have to be followed before issuing passports.

Security procedures, scanning and quality checks and assurances have to be ensured and that requires time,” he said. Around 10,000 customers seek services at the Immigration and Emigration Department daily.

“We have to close office at 2.00 pm to transact with banks. Customers could attend to their work and do not have to waste their time hanging around. They will be informed about their application through SMS”, Perera said.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has commenced accepting applications for passports at Divisional Secretariat level. “We have set up officers at Kandy, Matara and Anuradhapura. We hope to set up one in Vavuniya soon”, Perera said. The Department has planned to introduce biometrics to counter impersonation and curtail all forms of forgery. The move will raise credibility of the passport at international level. “Biometrics capture will be introduced once we have finalised the technology. The new system will help reduce forgery and increase the credibility of the travel document”, the Controller General said.

He said that plans are afoot to introduce the internet based on-line visa system - the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) this year, to enable those hoping to travel to Sri Lanka to log on to the Department website and apply for Sri Lankan visas. This system will be linked to all relevant departments and will help promote and manage tourism effectively. Accepting dual citizenship applications and applications approved and due for payments are temporarily discontinued until further notice. The on-line arrival visa facility (Visit visa and transit visa) will remain unchanged until the ETA is set up.