THE congestion reported at the Immigration offices, especially in the Klang Valley, is due to the sharp increase in applications and renewals of passports, according to Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

He said passport applications and renewals had increased by 65%, causing congestion at Immigration offices, especially in the Klang Valley.

He added that the Immigration Department had more than 1.2 million passports, which can accommodate the sharp increase in demand.

“If supplies run out, we will add more,” he said.

Khairul said one of the factors behind the congestion was people swamping the desks at the same time.

“For example, at the Immigration office in Shah Alam, the office is narrow and many turned up in the morning to get a passport… when they can come in the afternoon,” he said.

The operating hours at six Immigration offices were extended to 10pm, while the other six were extended to 6pm from May 11, to accommodate the sudden increase.

These offices include Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Negri Sembilan, and Malacca, while those in Penang, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perlis will be open until 6pm.

Khairul said the public outside the Klang Valley should use the current school holidays to apply for and renew passports.

“We have Immigration offices that manage passport issuance and they are not as busy as Putrajaya or Shah Alam – such as Perlis, Kedah, Pahang, and Terengganu,” he said.

“If there are no pressing reasons then there is no need to apply for a passport yet… I did randomly ask 10 applicants, of which six said that they have no immediate travel plans,” he said. – Bernama, June 9, 2022.