Long queues at High Commission in Singapore manageable
“It is good that they have officers to assist at the main gate,” said a senior citizen who accompanied her husband to collect his renewed passport at the Malaysian High Commission Complex (STM) here yesterday morning.
The elderly couple were met by Bernama while observing officers from the Malaysian Immigration Department managing a long queue outside the complex.
Earlier, the couple were allowed to come into the JIM office, which is housed at the complex, without queuing.
However, they were asked to come back because the passport was not ready yet.
“We were informed that the passport will be printed in Malaysia,” said the wife, who wanted to be known as Madam Lee.
She showed a document asking her husband to come to the JIM office on Feb 16.
Before leaving on a motorcycle, the couple, who are Singapore permanent residents, said they would be notified by email once the passport was ready to be collected.
Last week, several Malaysians in Singapore took to social media to show the congestion and long queues for passport renewal outside the complex.
It was observed yesterday that the situation was under control, with two JIM officers assisted by several security officers doing document screenings at the main gate before allowing people to proceed with related matters inside the complex.
In his response on March 19, Malaysian Immigration directorgeneral Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said system disruptions and a sharp rise in applications had led to the congestion at the JIM office.
He said the congestion was also due to walk-in applicants who did not make appointments through the Online Appointment System (STO) as well as the Covid-19-induced border closure, which made it difficult for Malaysians to renew their passports in Johor Baru or at other branches of the department.
Khairul Dzaimee said JIM was also waiting for approval from the Singapore Foreign Ministry to allow staff of Datasonic Bhd to enter the country to carry out repair work.
He advised Malaysians in Singapore to renew their passports online, as applications would be processed and printed within four to five weeks.
Priority in renewing passports would be given to Malaysians who needed to extend their work permits in the near future, he said.
The JIM office in Singapore was normally able to process 100 passport renewal applications a day, but during the pandemic, the applications had increased to 350 a day, Khairul Dzaimee added.
Last week, online renewal applications increased from 200 to 450 per day, with most of the applicants turning up without making an appointment through the STO.