PUTRAJAYA, June 17 — The Immigration Department is committed to improving the autogate service at main entry points to the country, including at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Its director general, Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said in a statement yesterday that the department would study and tidy the work process to boost the quality of service.

"This department, with the cooperation of the Home Ministry, plans to increase the number of autogates to cater to rising demand from foreign visitors,” he said, adding that Immigration officers at entry points will be given continuous training to manage the influx of foreign visitors and are constantly reminded to carry out their duties in line with the standard work procedures set.

"The department is always committed to providing the best service and welcomes suggested improvements as a continuous effort to improve movement at key entry points in the country.

"This is the department’s commitment to support the national economic development without neglecting facilities for Malaysian citizens,” he said.

The use of autogates by foreign visitors began on June 1, in line with the government’s announcement that its use be expanded for 63 countries to meet the rising entry of foreign visitors post-Covid 19 pandemic.

The Immigration Department recorded foreign visitor arrivals of over 30 million people, Ruslin said.

"Foreign visitor arrivals have risen with over 13 million entering Malaysia for various reasons, and the rising arrivals requires an efficient and quick process that doesn’t compromise national security,” he said.

He added that the autogate service proved to be effective and managed to speed up to process to 10 to 15 seconds compared to 30 minutes of waiting at the manual counter.

The service is capable of reducing congestion at the KLIA arrival hall significantly by settling 85 per cent of arrivals within 25 minutes. — Bernama