ICA e-service users can check status online

ST Online
17 Jun 2010

WE REFER to last Friday's Forum Online letter by Mrs Nadia Nalaningrum Moertiyoso ('Nightmarish experience with ICA's e-services'). The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is committed to service excellence and offers a variety of e-services to make our immigration facilities more accessible and convenient to the public.

The Electronic Visit Pass (Long Term) or e-VP in short, is one such system which was introduced to offer our customers a convenient mode of applying for the facility online.

We have carried out an investigation into the e-VP application made by Mrs Moertiyoso on May 11. Our records show that a notification was successfully sent to the e-mail account provided by her in her online application.

As Mrs Moertiyoso had not made the required payment within the stipulated 14 days following the e-mail notification, the application was subsequently treated as withdrawn. We note that she had used a different e-mail account to contact us when she noticed that the application was withdrawn.

To facilitate processing, it is important for applicants to provide accurate information when they submit their applications online.

Besides an e-mail notification, applicants can also use the 'Status Enquiry' function in the e-service to check the outcome of their application status. This information is available on the main page of our website (www.ica.gov.sg).

We have since contacted Mrs Moertiyoso on her application.

Chia Hui Keng (Ms)

Head, Public & Internal Communications

Corporate Communications Division

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority


Nightmarish experience with ICA's e-services

ST Online
11 Jun 2010

THE Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) introduced its e-services to supposedly serve its customers better, but I had a nightmarish experience.

I applied for the Electronic Visit Pass (Long Term) so that my parents could visit me during my confinement period. After submitting the application and paying the first fee, there was no follow-up whatsoever. After waiting seven weeks, I sent an e-mail. Still, there was no reply.

On checking via the e-services, I found to my shock that my application had been treated as 'withdrawn' as I had apparently failed to pay the second instalment on time.

When I called the ICA, the operator informed me that I had to check the status of the application online. Since the application process takes four to six weeks, I had to check every day within that period.

Any online application would send its customers an e-mail reminder or notification for a follow-up, or at least state the procedure of e-service in a clear manner at the beginning of the process. This e-service failed to do so.

Nadia Nalaningrum Moertiyoso (Mrs)