Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 17, 2016 News
-birth certificate services promised
As of yesterday, a part of the building that houses the National Insurance Scheme in
Mackenzie, Linden, officially became the Region 10 Passport Office, with a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony, to declare the facility open to the public.
Among those present at the commissioning ceremony were Minister within the Ministry of Communities, with Responsibility for Housing, Valerie Patterson; Mayor Carwyn Holland, Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph, Member of Parliament Jermaine Figuiera, Deputy Community Development Councilor Sandra Adams, and Assistant Commissioner of Police and Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Dale Alves.
Minister Patterson told the gathering that the move is aimed at “ease of doing business” and alluded to the launch of the programme by the government a few weeks ago.
“This is just the beginning. We are looking to see birth certificates coming; people must not have to go to Georgetown for everything. We have the capacity here in Region 10, we have the know-how, the resources; all we want is the head office or head offices to recognize what we can do here for ourselves. We are independent people and I know that not long from now all these services will come to Linden.”
She posited that the decentralization of the services is the first step in the right direction and soon many more programmes will be rolled out in the region.
Patterson appealed to Lindeners to be patient, noting that “sometimes fast is not good”, while calling for “support for whatever the government is doing in keeping with the President’s vision of making a better life for all Guyanese.”
She commended the fact that two of the four employees stationed at the local office are Lindeners.
Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Dale Alves said that the local office will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 08.00 hrs to 15.00 hrs, and services will include the renewal and replacement of
machine-readable passports.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, applications will be accepted for the renewal of passports and on Thursdays, passports will be delivered for applications received the previous week.
Alves added that the office will be serving persons whose passports have expired or have less than six months’ validity, noting that in order to travel, a passport must have a minimum of six months validity.
Those persons whose passports would have been lost or damaged, as well as persons who may have had a change of name due to deed poll or marriage, will also be able access the service.
Currently, the standard renewal fee is $4,000 and for a passport that has been lost or damaged, the fee is $15,000 for a replacement.
The local office, he added, will also be offering assistance to persons who are unable to fill up the application forms.
However, first-time applicants and persons in possession of the old passport will still have to access that service at the immigration office in Georgetown.
Deputy Community Development and RDC Councilor Sandra Adams said that the Ministry of Citizenship is already in the process of trying to acquire land to facilitate the erection of a building for immigration services.
Adams said that such a move would enable the Linden office to put in the necessary machinery to facilitate first time applicants.
“If you’re from Kwakwani, Ituni, Rockstone, in the rivers, Mabura or anywhere around Region 10, this is your office; you can come and get it done.”
Adams further stated that the launch of this service in Linden is a plus for the community, since persons from Region 10 will not have to travel to the city and encounter the usual crowds at the Georgetown office.
The office was officially opened with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon by Mayor Carwyn Holland.
Soon after the launch, persons queued up to access services.
Lindeners have applauded the decentralization of immigration services, and one resident said that he has made several trips to the Georgetown office to have his passport renewed, as it only had one page available, but was unable to have it renewed.
He said that with the new Linden office, he was quickly attended to and will return next week to uplift his renewed passport.
This initiative was first announced on July 15, by Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, at the occasion of the ‘Meet the Public,’ in Linden. The Minister had promised that the service would be rolled out within one month, and it was.
Minister Felix had last week visited Linden where he sensitized the public on both television and radio about yesterday’s launch.
The initiative has its genesis in President Granger’s concept of providing government services in the towns, thereby eliminating unnecessary travel to Georgetown to conduct simple business with a government agency.
Following the implementation in Region Ten, the decentralizing of passport application services will expand to other areas, across Guyana.
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