House Member Says Immigration Digitalisation Can Eliminate Bribery
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Yanuar Arif Wibowo, a member of Commission XIII of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), has said that comprehensive digital transformation at the Directorate General of Immigration can close off opportunities for illegal levies whilst strengthening oversight of people’s movement.
According to him, the step aligns with the 15 action programmes of Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services (Imipas) Agus Andrianto, particularly the strengthening of digital-based immigration services and the monitoring of foreigners.
“Digitalisation must no longer leave manual stages that could open room for abuse of authority,” Yanuar said in a statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
Consequently, he continued, all documentation should be able to make use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to validate and confirm applications so that illegal levies are no longer practised.
He reminded that Immigration is the face of Indonesia in the eyes of the world and the frontline guard in protecting national sovereignty.
Every year, he noted, around 25 million people enter and exit Indonesian territory, so the monitoring system must become increasingly modern and accountable.
Beyond digitalisation, Yanuar supports simplifying visa, Golden Visa, and residence permit services while continuing to prioritise the principle of selectivity.
He believes Indonesia needs to attract investors and tourists who have a real impact on national economic growth, rather than opening opportunities for residence permit abuse.
“We want to ensure that people entering Indonesia have an impact on economic growth. Screening must be strengthened so that problems such as overstays or visas being misused to work illegally do not arise,” said the member of the House commission overseeing immigration and correctional affairs.
He also emphasised the importance of a system to monitor the length of foreigners’ stays so that overstay violations can be prevented early.
Separately, he commended the Directorate General of Immigration for tightening checks on passport applications to prevent human trafficking crimes (TPPO).
In his view, examining travel purposes, interviewing applicants, and postponing passport issuance when suspicious indications are found are important steps in protecting Indonesian citizens.
“Immigration is not only about pursuing non-tax state revenue from visas, but also about safeguarding national sovereignty. Screening of every person entering Indonesia must be carried out properly, accompanied by strong integrity among officers,” Yanuar said.
In line with this, the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services continues to promote digital transformation as one of the priorities within Minister Agus Andrianto’s 15 action programmes.
Digitalisation is directed at creating immigration services that are faster, easier, transparent, and accountable, whilst strengthening oversight of people’s movement at entry points as well as within Indonesian territory.
The ministry is also continuing to strengthen electronic-based immigration service systems, from passport and visa services to residence permits. At the same time, monitoring of foreigners is being tightened through the use of information technology and stronger inter-agency coordination to support a healthy investment climate and safeguard national security and sovereignty.
Through this transformation, the ministry aims to deliver increasingly professional public services, free from illegal levies, and capable of providing legal certainty for the public, business actors, and investors operating in Indonesia.