JERTIH - The operating hours at all 72 passport-issuing offices and counters of the Immigration Department nationwide will be extended by three hours during next week’s school holidays.
Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the decision was made to alleviate congestion caused by the influx of applicants seeking to apply for or renew passports during the school holiday period.
"Except for Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, passport offices will operate from 8 am to 8 pm starting this Tuesday (Sept 17) until Friday (Sept 20).
"On Saturday and Sunday, offices will operate from 8am to 3pm, with counters remaining open during lunch hours, except on Fridays when they will temporarily close from 12.15pm to 2.45pm,” he said at a press conference after officiating the ‘Santuni MADANI - One Leader One Village’ programme at Kampung La, Hulu Besut, yesterday afternoon.
He said that for Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, the extended hours will only apply on Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept 17 and 18), until 8pm.
Ruslin said that in these four states, the offices will operate from 8am to 6.30pm on Thursday and from 8am to 12.30pm on Friday.
"On Saturday, the offices will operate from 8am to 3pm with counters remaining open during lunch breaks, except on Friday,” he added.
He noted that the number of customers handling passport matters is expected to surge by 50 per cent during the school holidays, rising from 10,000 people on weekdays to 15,000.
On the ‘Santuni MADANI - One Leader One Village’ programme, he said it was an initiative of the Prime Minister aimed at enhancing village potential and community capacity through direct involvement and monitoring, to better understand and address socio-economic challenges and the needs of the population.
"The Immigration Department has chosen Kampung La as the department's adopted village under the initiative,” said Ruslin, who also visited some ailing residents as well as presenting donations from the Yayasan Prihatin Nasional (PRIHATIN). - BERNAMA