Permanent Secretary for Immigration Aliki Salusalu was overjoyed today during the handover of the final report and draft Bills for the review of the Migration Laws (Passport Act 2002, Citizenship of Fiji Act 2009 and Immigration Act 2003), stating that these are outdated and they do not adequately address the modern migration trend which could lead to operational inefficiencies and create risks to the security, vulnerabilities and compliance violations.
Salusalu says over the last two decades, global mobility and migration patterns have changed significantly.
The Permanent Secretary says they are looking forward to the other necessary steps in this review process that ultimately lead to the enactment of the law.
He thanked all those that were involved in the review of these three immigration related acts, including those that have made submissions during the consultation.
Salusalu also thanked the Director of the Law Reform Commission and her team, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the International Organization for Migration for their financial support in funding this review and for their continuous partnership in advancing Fiji's migration priorities.
He says they look forward to the enactment of this mandate into law as it will strengthen national security and protect the integrity of our borders, improve passport and identity assurance systems, clarify and modernize citizenship processes, enhance compliance, enforcement and investigation capabilities, streamline visas and permit processing to support both security and economic development and enable digital transformation and automated service delivery to the public.
Acting Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says consultations were held across Fiji in Labasa, Savusavu, Rakiraki, Korovou, Lautoka, Nadi, Sigatoka, Suva and Nausori, reaching a wide range of communities.
He says in addition to in-person sessions, there were also written submissions received through the Fiji Law Reform Online Portal between August and September of last year, providing individuals and organizations the opportunity to share detailed proposals.
Turaga says key government agencies, professional bodies and community groups also participated to ensure that the resulting recommendations are comprehensive, practical and people-centered.
He says another important consideration is the balancing of employment and investment policies to protect local workers while attracting genuine investors.
The Acting Attorney General says finally it is addressing specific community challenges such as those affecting the Banaban people, adding if you look at the definition of Fijians, they are inclusive of Banaban people.
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