PICA Continues To Improve Services

Chief Executive Officer of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Andrew Wynter, says the entity continues to improve its products and services in order to save customers time and money.

Speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, Mr. Wynter noted that a number of changes have been undertaken over the last few years in response to international standards and consumer feedback.

“We are leveraging technology to make your life easier. We have implemented a new, simplified version for the adult passport renewal, where you don’t need a Justice of the Peace (JP) signature. One thing that people complained about was that… the form was too long,” he said.

PICA has also launched an online passenger declaration form to reduce wait time for customers.

“Persons can complete [the form] and submit ahead of time so it is a seamless, paperless opportunity and over 23,000 passengers have now used that facility since it was launched in July,” Mr. Wynter said.

The online passenger declaration form, along with the increase in the number of automated border-crossing (ABC) kiosks at local airports, can boost Jamaica’s brand as a tourist destination.

“As a country, we are not just competing with the Caribbean for tourism, we are competing with the world, so we have to put in world-class facilities so that when passengers and tourists come to Jamaica, their process is expedited,” Mr. Wynter noted.

He said that the kiosks have significantly improved the processing of passengers.

“We recognise that when you come off that eight to 13-hour flight from your destination, you want to get out quickly, and we want persons to use the automated kiosk for processing,” he noted.

PICA is an executive agency whose function is to keep Jamaica’s borders safe. The agency accepts and processes passport applications, manages the island’s immigration processes and handles citizenship matters, including the renunciation of Jamaican citizenship.