The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced its aims to achieve 100 percent online applications from its 15 electronic services (e-Services) into the MyICA portal by 2020.
According to the authority, its journey to achieve 100 percent online applications began with the launch of MyICA on 27 June 2018. MyICA is an integrated personalised portal where customers can access ICA’s e-Services on a secure electronic platform. With MyICA, members of the public only need to perform a single log-in every time, in order to enjoy all of ICA’s e-Services. In addition, payments for e-Services are consolidated, so that only a single e-payment is required for multiple transactions within the same log-in session.
According to ICA, users expressed satisfaction in their feedback with the portal and welcome the convenience of a single portal to access different e-Services.
ICA said that in 2017, 88 percent of more than 5.5. million applications were already submitted online. It noted that the majority of hardcopy applications were for passports and NRICs, and submitted at ICA Building in person or mailed to ICA.
The authority also takes various measures as there are some who are not familiar to online services, which are:
- First-time users of MyICA can learn about its features and the e-Services available through an online tutorial.
- To guide applicants who are not familiar with the process of applying for passports and NRICs online, a step-by-step video guide (in English and our national vernacular languages) will be progressively introduced on ICA’s website and Facebook page.
- To facilitate applications by the elderly who may be less familiar with using the Internet, their family members and friends can apply on their behalf via MyICA.
Applicants who do not have access to the Internet, or whose family or friends are unable to assist, are asked to visit the eLobby at ICA Building and make use of the self-service kiosks to submit their applications where ICA Service Ambassadors will be on hand to help such applicants.
It will also make special arrangements to assist those who are unable to make a trip to ICA due to medical reasons. For example, those who are bedridden and are required to re-register for their NRIC can request for ICA to conduct the re-registration at their residence.
