BM fluency not grounds for rejecting applications, says Immigration Dept DG

Source: The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Immigration officers are not allowed to reject any application simply because the client fails to master the national language, says its director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.

Ruslin clarified that as part of their responsibilities, Immigration officers would carry out random checks to cover various aspects before approving the application.

"However, this review needs to be done professionally and prudently.

"The department is committed to providing good service to customers and always reminds all officers to treat customers according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set by the Immigration department," he said in a statement on Wednesday (April 24).

Ruslin was commenting on the reports that a man was disappointed that he could not renew his mother's passport because she was not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

"Immigration officers are not allowed to reject any application simply because the client fails to master the national language.

"The department would like to inform the public that the customer has been able to renew their passport and pick it up at the Penang UTC Office on April 22," he said.

It was reported recently that an elderly woman was allegedly barred from renewing her passport at the UTC office in Komtar, after she was said to not be fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

The woman's son then shared the encounter on social media which went viral.