i-Kad to be gazetted as valid identification for foreign students - Mustafar

The Immigration Department is in the process of gazetting the ‘i-Kad’ as a valid identification for foreign students studying at higher learning institutions registered with the Ministry of Higher Education.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said once gazetted, the i-Kad could be used as a form of identification in accordance with the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.

He said this would enable the i-Kad to act in lieu of the passport.

"The i-Kad will be used to identify foreign students, however, it won’t be an absolute replacement of a passport," he said in a statement, here Monday.

He said the Home Ministry also wanted all law enforcement agencies to accept the i-Kad of foreign students as legitimate cards in lieu of a passport.

Mustafar said the Immigration Department was finalising the i-Kad format to be included as part of the Immigration Rules (Amendment 2017) draft through the Home Ministry’s Immigration Affairs Division.

"The i-Kad for foreign students will be introduced with a new format and enhanced security features to avoid counterfeiting and misuse," he said adding that the card will be equipped with a new biometric chip and permanent identification number that can be recognised by all enforcement agencies.

-- BERNAMA