Passport office moves to speed up processing

According to the Immigration Office, there will be no more long lines for passports, and a new machine-readable system will soon be put in place. At a media conference yesterday at the Ministry of National Security, acting Chief Immigration Officer, Keith Ameerali, noted that during the Easter holidays, passports were put on hold, but the general public can now come to offices as early as 6 am to apply for passports. “This is no longer, as children were also being issued passports due to the Easter and August holiday, and we are starting early to alleviate the system.”

He noted that there will also be a passport office opening in Arima, and longer working days will be established in Chaguanas and in South Trinidad. He said there are currently passport offices in Sangre Grande, San Fernando and Point Fortin. When asked if there will be a fingerprinting security system in the future, he replied: “Legislation has to be put in place, and we have to be one step ahead and ready for events, and the new machine-readable system will have bio-metrics in place of fingerprinting.” He said immigration is reviewing a system overhaul to accommodate travellers. “The new system will also have less errors because it is presently done manually.”

Discussing previous reports of passport racket and fraud, he added that police officers were once used to assist the Immigration Office and to deal with visitors who had overstayed their welcome. “They had been called back for police duties and now we need to establish our own unit with immigration officers,” he said. He added that there will be training and recruitment before the system is put in place. He said the new Caricom passport does not give the user any particular rights. “The Caricom is only a symbol.” He added that if a Trinidad and Tobago passport expired while the holder is abroad, it was not necessary to renew it as it is possible to travel with it.