With the addition of five new work stations at the Central Passport and Immigration Office in Georgetown, a larger number of applications are being processed at a much faster rate, resulting in the disappearance of the regular early morning lines outside of the location.
Stabroek News had visited the passport office on four different days last month and documented the experiences of applicants, many of whom had travelled across regions, having left their homes in the wee hours of the morning. Between the hours of 7am and 10 am, not only were long lines of people observed along the Camp Street roadway, but the shed, the first stop for persons processing their applications, had filled to capacity.
These lines are no more, however, as recent visits have revealed.
According to Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Senior Superintendent Dale Alves, the Passport Office sees an average of 400 applicants per day and begins processing applications around 7am daily, or sometimes earlier, and work is often now completed by 1.30pm.
“Where, before, to process about 400 to 450