Work permit, visa merged to ease movement

THE PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority has merged the processing of work permits and visas to assist the movement of people across international borders and the conducting of business. Chief migration officer Stanis Hulahau said the idea was to create a one-stopshop for the Government. “It was approved by Parliament in April.” Hulahau said despite the impacts of the Covid-19 on the authority, some measures had to be put in place to assist the Government in facilitating movements across the international borders. It will also ensure people who are supposed to be employed and working in specialist areas are given special recognition and assisted by way of getting their visas processed on time.
“On April 21, Parliament passed the merger of work permits and visas. The idea is to create a one-stop shop hub for the Government. “We understood that there’s a lot of problem in terms of applying for work permit, which is a separate process and takes time. “And with the work permit, the employer, employees, sponsors or agents then apply for a visa. Sometimes the process takes three months, sometimes six months.” The new initiative will allow ease of doing business. “So when they apply for a visa, the application is the same as work permit.  “When we issue the visa, the visa is also the work permit.  “It’s going to be a one-stop shop service for our business communities.”