REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Directorate General of Immigration in the Ministry of Law and Human Right revoked the requirements of Rp 25 million of balance in making tourist passport. It was a respond to the societies’ objection after the information spread in the social media. “Start from today, the tourist passport applicant will not be asked about the Rp 25 million balance,” said the Head of Public Relations of Directorate General of Immigration Agung Sampurno in his office on Monday (20/3). 

Agung explained that basically there was no requirement to have Rp 25 million of account balance in the circular letter. The requirement was mentioned in the internal correspondence letter of the immigration department. Unfortunately, the regional staffs could not do an improvisation on how and when they needed to ask about the applicant’s balance. The policy then generate into polemics and rejections. "The regional staffs did not make an improvisation. To avoid misunderstanding the requirements was eliminated,” he said. 

The aim of the policy was to be a consideration of the staff when doing an interview. When there was suspicion on the data submitted by the applicant and the answer in the interview, the staffs were taught to ask question about the balance. 

However, the revoke of Rp 25 million of balance did not eliminate other requirements. The pilgrims to be should provide a recommendation from the Ministry of Religion Affairs to make passport. The Indonesian workers to be must also provide a recommendation from the labor offices and had joined a medical test by BNP2TKI. 

The people who would join an internship abroad should provide a recommendation from the Directorate General of Coaching, Training, and Productivity of the Labor Ministry. The Indonesian people who wanted to visit their family should provide a letter of guarantee from the visited family. 

"There is no additional recommendation for the tourist, but the interview would be deeper to make sure that the applicant is honest and is not a victim of human trafficking,” he said. 

The general requirement was to provide an identity card, family card, and birth certificate. To avoid nonprocedural or illegal migrant workers, there would be deeper interview. By the interview, immigration staffs were taught to read how illegal workers as tourists. 

The staffs would not only seeing at the applicant’s answer, but also checking the documents, and take an attention on the gestures. “Profiling, gesture, or body language, where the staffs would get an assurance about the aim of the trip,” he said. 

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