The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is making good progress towards realising its ‘3N’ vision of Services Centre Next Generation (SCNG), namely “No Fuss; No Visit; No Waiting” for customers, despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 situation. This effort entails the transformation of our systems, processes and people, and the adoption of a new operating model that would provide more convenient and secure services to customers. 

2.         ICA will realise the SCNG vision in phases – 100% online applications by 2021, the digitisation of ICA-issued documents in 2023, and the launch of the new integrated Services Centre in 2023. We will leverage a combination of technology, biometrics and customer-friendly processes to enable us to achieve this SCNG vision.

‘No Fuss’ and ‘No Visit’

3.         ICA will reduce the need for members of the public to make physical trips to ICA Building as far as practicable. Applications for our services will be fuss-free and intuitive, so that customers can transact on-the-go anytime/anywhere instead of physical, over-the-counter transactions.

4.         To achieve this, ICA has been digitalising its processes and services to provide 100% online services by 2021. One of the more recent initiatives is the e-Service to allow all Identity Card (IC) holders to report a change of their residential address. Unlike the earlier process which requires applicants to appear before a Police or ICA officer to effect the change, the report can now be completed online.  

5.         There are other e-Services and digitalisation initiatives that are in the pipeline that will save customers a trip to the ICA Building, and more details will be announced when ready. Some of these upcoming initiatives include:

• Transforming manual services to e-Services for residents – Residents can look forward to the following new online services: i) report loss of their IC, ii) report loss of their passport, and iii) report damaged passports.
• Digitising ICA-issued documents – These digital documents will be stored in a secure digital repository, and residents will be able to access and retrieve them, as and when they need it, via a secure digital platform for identification/verification/transactional purposes. The first in line will be the birth and death certificates followed by long-term passes.
• Foreign visitors can access the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) for other services – Beyond submission of pre-arrival information and health declaration, the SGAC will be expanded into an enterprise mobile app to allow foreign visitors to check their visit pass and duration of stay allowed, and also apply for the extension of stay.

6.         ICA also aims to provide services that are more personalised to customers’ needs through push notifications, where ICA will proactively inform or remind our customers of the need to follow up on transactions with ICA. For example, ICA recently announced its digital notification service that will notify members of the public on Identity Card and Passport-related matters from 1 Sep 2020. ICA intends to extend this service to more ICA products and services progressively.

‘No Waiting’

7.         The SCNG vision of ‘no waiting’ is embodied in the concept of operation of the new integrated Services Centre. ICA announced in May 2019 during its Workplan Seminar that it will have a new Services Centre located on the site adjacent to the existing ICA Building at Kallang Road. Construction works for the new 10-storey building has begun in October 2020. The new building is expected to be operational by 2023.

8.         The new integrated Services Centre will enable ICA to provide a seamless, one-stop service to members of the public. Counter services will be integrated. Unlike today, where customers need to go to different counters at different floors for different services, they will be served at a single counter even if they require access to different ICA services.

9.         The new integrated Services Centre will also be equipped with self-service kiosks for customers to collect ICA-issued documents at their convenience. Customers can look forward to longer opening hours, shorter transaction times and without making prior appointment, when using these self-service kiosks. This is made possible by the new iSMART system, which will enable end-to-end smart management of each document from production to delivery. Using intelligent robotics technology, iSmart will store documents securely after production, and on demand, distribute the documents to self-service kiosks for customer’s collection. 

10.       There will be ICA service ambassadors deployed on-site to render assistance to ICA customers who may be unfamiliar with using self-service technology. Equipped with tablets and smart technology, these service ambassadors will also be able to assist with customers’ queries.

11.       For customers who need to make a physical visit to the new Services Centre, ICA is also developing a system that will provide real-time information on crowd situation so that these customers can make an informed decision on the best time to visit ICA to complete their transactions.

Upskilling and expanding the roles and duties of ICA officers

12.        As ICA transforms the way services are delivered, our officers can look forward to opportunities to upskill and perform more exciting job roles. Frontline officers at the services centres today generally deliver services in specialised areas within the scope of their individual service centre. With the integrated Services Centre, officers will have the opportunity to perform functions across the entire scope of citizen, permanent resident and visitor services. They can also oversee digital service touchpoints of all services and products, and provide holistic case assessment that also considers the various immigration facilities that the applicant is eligible for. Officers will be trained to ensure they are equipped with the skills and competencies to perform the roles efficiently and effectively.

Beyond 2023

13.        The integrated Services Centre will transform ICA’s service delivery and realise our SCNG vision of “No Fuss; No Visit; No Waiting”. It will also provide the platform for ICA to testbed and introduce more initiatives to enhance the public’s experience when they transact with ICA. .

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
22 DECEMBER 2020