Port Moresby – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is pleased to have started 2024 with the signing of a programme partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea to establish the operation of Administrative Service Centers in the country and in foreign countries.

On 30 December 2023, the Cooperation Agreement between the Papua New Guinea Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority (ICA) and IOM was signed by both parties to give a start to this innovative initiative.

Administrative Service Centres are one-stop-shops through which services offered by public agencies will be made easily accessible to Papua New Guinea nationals, foreign nationals residing in Papua New Guinea and potential travelers and immigrants to the country. The initiative will ultimately enhance the e-governance capacity of Papua New Guinea, streamlining the processes, ensuring security of data, and fastening the processing time.

This initiative is offered under IOM’s Regular Pathways programming. It relies on the technical solutions made available by Immigration and Border Governance built around legal identity as a core enabler of sustainable development, and safe and regular migration. The programme will begin with providing expedited citizenship and migration-related services, including among others visa, stay permit application and renewal, passport application and renewal. In the immediate term, it will allow both for better service and enhanced trust in existing pathways. It will additionally enable a reduction in cost to the beneficiaries.

Administrative Service Centres will start operating in Port Moresby (National Capital District), Mount Hagen (Western Highlands Province), Lae (Morobe Province) and expand further in other locations in and outside of Papua New Guinea borders in a phased approach. The first three Centres will be regional hubs accessible to a wide community of applicants. The Administrative Service Centres will provide applicants with accurate information, identity checks, document completeness checks, and biographic/biometric data collection in a secure, reliable, flexible and cost-effective manner.

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For further information, please contact IOM Port Moresby, Eliorah Malifa, Tel: +675 7040 1526, Email: emalifa@iom.int