The Department of Immigration is exploring the possibility of printing passport books at its divisional offices in Lautoka and Labasa/Savusavu.
Director Immigration Nemani Vuniwaqa said this would reduce a backlog of passport applications received in Suva through its divisional offices.
“We are looking into this however, that would mean an extensive research on our part which we are currently undertaking in Labasa and Suva,” he said.
“However, we have been working very hard in ensuring that our passport services are more streamlined and this has meant a faster clearance of backlogs that we used to have in the past.”
Mr Vuniwaqa highlighted despite the challenges encountered in 2014, the department will strengthen its services to the public.
“We have enough (35, 000) passport books with us on standby and we have received positive reviews about our services which we are aiming to even better in the New Year.”
“We have been inundated with applications and requests from former Fiji residents and many of them have started working towards coming back home to either invest or assist their families which is an indication for the positive growth that Fiji is already experiencing.”
MEDIA RELEASE