Speaking on this week’s episode of “Police Roundup”, Senior Superintendent and Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Stephen Telford said the initiative allows immigration officers to travel directly to citizens who are bedridden, Persons living with disabilities, or otherwise unable to visit a passport office.
“As the technology rolls out, as we advance, we now have what is called a mobile service, which means that we can come to your home. If you are bedridden or a person living with a disability cannot come to the passport office, we can come to you,” Telford explained.
He highlighted several recent cases where the service proved critical, including a bedridden resident of Anna Regina who required a passport to travel overseas for medical treatment.
According to Telford, immigration officers visited the individual’s home on a Saturday to complete the enrollment process, and the passport was delivered by Monday.
In another case, officers travelled to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to process a patient whose passport had expired shortly before an overseas medical trip.
The mobile service complements broader efforts to improve passport accessibility nationwide.
Passport offices have already been established in communities including Leonora, Lethem, Port Mourant, Linden, New Amsterdam and Anna Regina, significantly reducing travel costs and waiting times for citizens.
Telford noted that passport applications submitted at decentralised locations are processed within three working days, the same turnaround time offered at the central office.
The department has also introduced five and ten-year passport options for adults, while children under ten years of age continue to receive five-year passports due to changes in facial features during childhood.
Meanwhile, the department is encouraging citizens to collect outstanding travel documents as part of Passport Collection Month. All passport offices are open on Saturdays throughout June from 9:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs to facilitate collections.
The senior officer said the mobile enrollment programme reflects government’s commitment to ensuring that no citizen is left behind as immigration services continue to evolve through technology and innovation. (Department of Public Information)
