Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua

The Immigration Department is in the process of acquiring a new Integrated Border Management System.

While speaking in parliament, Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua has confirmed that this will be at no extra cost to the Fijian taxpayer.

Tikoduadua says the new system will be set up by the international organization for migration and then handed over to the Fijian Immigration Department.

He adds that in the past ten years, three components of the current Border Management Information System have not been operational, and the immigration department is forced to do it manually, which includes citizenship processing and certificate printing.

“Since 2013, the government has spent in excess of $2.8 million to maintain this system. In truth, we are even paying for those modules that I have mentioned above that are not functioning.”

Tikoduadua says they will be addressing some of the gaps in the current IBMS as some people have come through the border without being detected.

The Minister says that through the intervention of other international law enforcement agencies, they have found out that they have been here for quite a while.

The current Border Management Information System was introduced in 2013 by a Sri Lankan company.