| Report critical of immigration procedures | | Print | |
| Thursday, 29 July 2010 12:07 | |||
 The Tourism Working group hit hard on problems the immigration department is causing for the country’s tourism industry. Once tourists arrive at the airport, immigration and customs officials are the first and last impression for tourists, and their customer service must be improved, the group said. “The Working Group considered that the immigration service as currently structured is dysfunctional and a substantial liability to the country’s efforts to promote tourism,” the group said. According to the group, a number of people interviewed made the point that the immigration officers are the front line: “If they are not welcoming then the first impression may colour enjoyment of the holiday. If the last impression is a long queue and an unpleasant experience with the immigration officials, it may be remembered and substantially deter the tourist from visiting again.” The group said they had many complaints about the behaviour of the immigration officials at Provo airport, and a number of group members had themselves suffered at the hand of the immigration officers. However, it was not only at the airports that there were problems with immigration. The association of marine operators also singled out the immigration department for their insensitive and uncooperative handling of visas for waterborne tourists arriving at the marinas in the TCI. The Working Group spoke to Alonzo Malcolm, acting director of immigration, who said that there had been many attempts to tackle the unfortunate behaviour of immigration officers, but these had failed. This led to the group to investigate more deeply into the reasons for the failure. When asked how he could enforce a better, more friendly, service orientated manner towards tourists, Malcolm said that other than exhortation, there was little he could do. Malcolm told the group he couldn’t fire employees — even those guilty of misfeasance and fraud — without a six-month process that required approval by both his permanent secretary and the Office of Public Service. During this period, Malcolm noted someone that should have been fired continued to work as a fully paid member of the service, inevitably undermining the authority of his superiors. According to the report, the immigration service does not even have full control over its own hiring policies. “Prison wardens, not the most obvious candidates for handling tourists, were transferred into the immigration service, against the advice of the senior officer by the overriding directive of a past chief secretary,” the group said. In another case, one individual failed to turn up for three months, effectively resigning his post. Nevertheless, the senior officer was required to readmit the individual. “It seemed to all the members of the Working Group that the Immigration Department was treated as a dumping ground for people with attitude problems in the other parts of the civil service,” the group said. The Working Group also asked Malcolm about the notorious case of the Bahamian lady who was treated so badly by a senior immigration officer in May 2009. “Interestingly, the lady officer concerned has now been rewarded by being given a higher paid job with the Airport Authority,” the report stated. The group recommended several solutions to the problem. These included posting someone from the Tourism Authority at the Provo airport to receive complaints from tourists and to be available to liaise between the tourist and the immigration official in the event of any disputes. They also recommended that all immigration officers be required to wear a badge denoting their partnership in TCI’s tourism initiative on which their name is indicated in bold and easily read letters. The group recommends that in front of every booth a sign is posted saying that it is the goal of every immigration officer to deliver a professional, friendly and efficient service, and that if any visitor has any complaints, these should be notified to the representative of the Tourism Authority or should be e-mailed to a supplied address. Regular surveys should be undertaken to ensure that attitudes improve, the group said, and training in customer service is absolutely essential for all immigration and customs officers. “The immigration officers need to feel a part of the tourism programme. The country’s success in attracting tourists ultimately is an objective that they should feel a part of.” Click HERE to read the working group’s report.
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