Handling Passports and Visas at the Consulate General in Los Angeles is Now More Practical, Fast and Transparent

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused various obstacles in public services, including the immigration service at the Indonesian Consulate General in Los Angeles due to the closure of all offices. With the walk-in system, problems arise, such as people having to go back and forth to the Consulate General to submit required documents that are lacking. The passport applicant is very dependent on the officer’s explanation. Too frequent interactions with officers have the potential for unfair service delivery. In addition, the gathering of applicants at one time is very risky in the transmission of Covid-19.

Observing this, in May 2020 LA Immigration Attache, Sigit Setyawan built an application system for passport and visa service appointments to manage queue flow and service file management from upstream to downstream. The goal is to arrange the arrival schedule according to the time chosen by the applicant himself.

Prior to arrival, applicants are provided with information regarding online service requirements and mechanisms, which include filling out forms, uploading documents and monitoring document shortages prior to arrival. Meanwhile, for post-service, there is a notification notification of the stages of the service process, the document has been completed and a link for suggestions and criticism recommendations.

This application was not immediately implemented for use until August 2020, when immigration officers also felt satisfaction and comfort because everything had been arranged in the system. Officers can easily track file whereabouts, file status and file follow-up. The reduced interaction with the community makes them calmer and less stressed. To date, the application has been able to serve 4500 applicants since it was first launched.

On November 15, 2021, on the sidelines of his duty visit to the United States, the Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna H. Laoly who was accompanied by the Acting Director General of Immigration, Widodo Ekatjahjana reviewed the Immigration services of the Indonesian Consulate General in LA and inaugurated an application called the Immigration Online Service System. (IOSS) it. This moment was also witnessed by the Special Staff of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights for Foreign Relations, the Director of Immigration Stay Permit, Pramela Y. Pasaribu and the Director of Wasdakim, Pria Wibawa.

Through his remarks, the Minister of Law and Human Rights expressed his appreciation for the initiative from the Indonesian Consulate General in LA, in this case the Immigration Attaché, in building a pre-service system that greatly facilitates the public in accessing Immigration services, which is a simple application but can be an answer to public complaints and complaints from internal Immigration officers.

“With this application, people can access registration to obtain passports or visas from their homes or places of residence using their respective devices in a very easy way. This application can also be accessed every day 1×24 hours a week,” he said.

It doesn’t stop there, other service innovations implemented during this pandemic are Drive Thru (services without going down) to people who will apply for passports. A manual passport renewal service with a 1 (one) year extension stamp is also provided for emergency purposes.

For his initiative, on December 18, 2020 Sigit Setyawan was awarded the Hassan Wirajuda Protection of Indonesian Citizens Award by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi because he was considered to have provided a breakthrough in excellent service for Indonesian people abroad. He is also active in providing protection for Ex-TKW who are employed in the US but are not paid a decent salary. Source |imigrasi.go.id|

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