Immigration and Emigration Department temporarily halts acceptance of passport applications

•  Controller General confirms work underway to introduce new system to issue passports
•  Asserts new mechanism will be ready within two weeks
•  Says only prior appointments and emergency cases will be considered based on documents

The Immigration and Emigration Department Controller General I.S.H.J. Ilukpitiya announced yesterday a temporary suspension of the acceptance of passport applications, in a move to introduce a new system to issue passports.

“We earnestly request the public not to visit our headquarters unless otherwise they have already got a prior appointment or it is an emergency. We are underway to introduce a new mechanism to issue passports effectively and efficiently within two weeks,” he said yesterday.

Illukpitiya also said in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as a medical emergency, for those who had come from abroad to get a new passport or any other urgency the Department will consider their pleas on a case-by-case basis.

“After considering the documents and if we feel that it is an urgent and genuine matter, those applicants will be given a chance to obtain their passport,” he added.

The people who have come from countrywide expressed their displeasure over the sudden cancellation of accepting passport applications.