JOHOR BARU: The number of passport applications in Johor have more than doubled since Malaysia reopened its borders on April 1.
State Immigration Department director Baharuddin Tahir said this had led to the large crowds and congestion at its offices of late.
“We are receiving up to 1,800 passport applications each day.
“This is a spike compared to the average of 700 received daily in March.
“We expect the number to continue increasing in the next two to three months,” he told reporters at the Setia Tropika Home Ministry Complex here on Monday (May 23).
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He added that the crowd was not limited to passport offices at the complex and Urban Transformation Centres as people were also seen queuing up at Immigration offices around the state including Mersing, which has only three counters.
Baharuddin said the department's measures to ease the application process and reduce congestion included extending Immigration office operating hours and ensuring that all counters are manned at all times.
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Since May 11, all 10 passport-issuing offices in Johor have been operating from 8am to 10pm daily and 8am to 12.30pm on Saturdays, he said, adding that their staff have been instructed to operate at maximum capacity.
“We will make improvements to the waiting areas and station staff members to hand out queuing numbers from as early as 4.30am because that is when some passport applicants start showing up at our offices,” he said.
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He said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi had been briefed on the situation during an impromptu visit to the Home Ministry Complex here.
Onn Hafiz said he was concerned for the people who had to wait for hours to apply for a passport.
“The situation has been like this since May 1 and it cannot keep going on like this,” he said, requesting an urgent meeting with the state Immigration director.