Student visa backlog to be solved within two weeks

A backlog of about 4,000 student visa applications yet to be processed would be solved within two weeks following the addition of Immigration officers, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

He said the ministry had requested for additional personnel as part of improvements in discussions held with the Home Ministry (KDN) and the Immigration Department recently.

"We requested them to add 10 Immigration officers, but KDN has added 26 officers to ensure the visas are issued within the prescribed period," he told reporters after chairing the National Higher Education Entrepreneurship meeting, here, today.

Idris was commenting on the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the government would facilitate and expedite the issuance of visas to foreign students from the current duration of one month to 14 days.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, was reported saying the backlog had occurred due to problems at the agency-level managing the visa applications, namely Education Malaysia Global Services and the Immigration Department.

Idris said after the visa backlog issue was resolved, the minimum target of processing 400 visas a day would be achieved. - BERNAMA