1. 1 ENABLING ELECTRONIC EXCHANGE OF LOST & STOLEN TRAVEL DOCUMENT BALI PROCESS 20 TH TO 22 ND APRIL, 2005 SIAM CITY HOTEL BANNGKOK, THAILAND FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

2. 2 OBJECTIVE 1.Fiji Immigration Department background 2.Fiji Passport Legislation 3.Immigration information system 4.Travel document information sharing

3. 3 FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT Four(4) main areas of business of the Department are: * Immigration- Immigration Act * Citizenship - 1997 Constitution & Citizenship Act * Passport - Passport Act * Deportation - Deportation Act FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

4. 4 BACKGROUND * Immigration is one of the few departments that have been around for the last 127 years * In 1878 under ordinance No 6 the than Governor of Fiji appointed the Agent-General for Immigration and sub- agents or Inspectors to regulate and control the recruitment of immigrants from recruiting vessels to the plantations and their repatriation back to their own country * In 1955 the Commissioner of Police was appointed to be the Principal Immigration Officer * 1969-The Immigration Department was transferred from the Fiji Police department to the Ministry of Labour * In 1970 all posts were civilianized and the department was headed by a Chief immigration officer * June 1976 to September 1977 – Ministry of Home Affairs * 1977-1982 – Ministry of labor, Industrial Relations & Immigration * July 1982 -1987 – Ministry of Home Affairs * 1987 until today always attached with the Home Affairs ministry.

5. 5 PASSPORT LEGISLATION FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT 1.New Act passed October 2002 Regulations being finalized 2.Exclusions: Minors, and those with Police records 3.Appealable provisions to the Minister 4.Director of Immigration may cancel lost or stolen passports.

6. 6 IMMIGRATION INFORMATION SYSTEM FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT 1.Immigration Department Information system 2.Passport system; 387 lost Fiji Diplomatic passports 3.Watchlist or alert list 4.Fiji Government IT Dept initiative to make watchlist available to regional database (PIDC)

7. 7 TRAVEL DOCUMENT INFORMATION SHARING FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT 1.Act can appoint Immigration Officers from within or regional organizations 2.Act has API provision for pre-entry arrivals 3.Can publicize photos and names of wanted immigrants (overstayers/criminals) 4.No legislation on information sharing, but must include provisions in the Regulations to the Passport & Immigration Acts

8. 8 FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT CONCLUSION 1.Legislation must be in place to protect privacy of persons while sharing the lost/stolen travel document information 2.Bali process must initiate a medium for electronic information sharing to integrate all regional databases including Interpol and similar policing bodies 3.The monitoring/policing of lost and stolen travel documents from Bali Process countries in other parts of the world must be investigated.

9. 9 VINAKA (THANK YOU) GOD BLESS YOU ALL FIJI IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT