Indian national queued for three days to renew visa
PETALING JAYA: An Indian national says he had a gruelling three days at the Immigration Department’s office in Shah Alam just to get a queue number.
Salman (not his real name), 44, said he spent three days before he could renew his visa at the department’s counter at the PKNS complex.
He said he first went there at 7.30am on Wednesday.
“There were already many queuing up for their numbers. After an hour I was told the numbers had run out.
“I returned on Monday and this time I arrived at about 6.45am. After two hours, I was disappointed when told that the numbers had all been taken up,” he said.
Salman tried again – at 4.30am yesterday.
“It was only then I was able to apply for my visa renewal,” he said when contacted by mStar Online, The Star’s Malay-language online portal.
Salman, who has been married to a Malaysian for about 10 years, said he was not the only one who faced such a dilemma.
The father of one said it was saddening to see even senior citizens, pregnant women and those with young children having to endure such inconveniences.
“When the doors of the Immigration office opened, everyone started rushing forward.
“There was a woman who had a small child at the front of the queue, but as soon as the doors opened and everyone rushed forward, she was left behind,” said the businessman.
Salman questioned why there was only a single counter to cater to hundreds of people.
“It is packed with people from the ground floor to the second floor of the office,” he said.
Selangor Immigration Department director Mohamad Shukri Nawi, when contacted, apologised for the chaos and said the unpredictable number of people who came each day could be the cause.
He said the department was looking into reducing the waiting time and separating cases that took a shorter time to process.
“For cases that take time such as visas, the applicants who could not take a number would be given an appointment date to make it easier for them to return to complete their business without having to show up every day.
“We also would be prioritising people such as senior citizens, people with disabilities and pregnant women,” he said, adding an officer might be stationed at the queue to control congestion.
Mohamad Shukri advised only people who were directly involved with applications to come.
“The public should also plan the application or renewal of their documents. Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said.