Latest news with #Immigration(Amendment)Act
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Singapore to stop entry to high-risk travellers from 2026
Advt Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. All about ETTravelWorld industry right on your smartphone! Download the ETTravelWorld App and get the Realtime updates and Save your favourite articles. Singapore will stop entry of high-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to the city state from next year by issuing no-boarding directives to transport operators of ships and flights, a media report said 43 per cent more foreigners were refused entry in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same time last year after the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) enhanced border security to identify more high-risk travellers before their ICA plans to roll out the no-boarding directives (NBDs) to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028, The Straits Times operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to SGD 10, move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on December 31, with over six million people of multiple ethnicities, remains sensitive to issues related to ISIS and or even other racial, religious and political-bias elements, according to diplomatic observers Thursday, the ICA said that while collecting passenger and crew information in advance has been the norm for airline and ship operators, such information is generally not readily available at land checkpoints, involving authorities, therefore, are looking into ways to implement similar measures at land checkpoints, according to the daily enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore."This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the prosperous island state in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024," the daily who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain Thursday, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing volumes of travellers coming into the who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the country's borders in diplomatic observers noted that it is also common for travellers to fly into Malaysia and then take a bus, taxi or car ride to said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the completion of three major infrastructure projects in near Malaysia's southernmost state capital of Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 is slated to open by the mid-2030s, and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint, a land-border checkpoint, is expected over the next 10 to 15 years, according to the broadsheet report."But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment," the minister that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports.
News18
31-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Singapore to stop entry to high-risk travellers from 2026
Singapore, Jul 31 (PTI) Singapore will stop entry of high-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to the city state from next year by issuing no-boarding directives to transport operators of ships and flights, a media report said Thursday. Also, 43 per cent more foreigners were refused entry in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same time last year after the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) enhanced border security to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival. The ICA plans to roll out the no-boarding directives (NBDs) to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028, The Straits Times reported. Transport operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to SGD 10,000. The move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on December 31, 2024. Singapore, with over six million people of multiple ethnicities, remains sensitive to issues related to ISIS and or even other racial, religious and political-bias elements, according to diplomatic observers here. On Thursday, the ICA said that while collecting passenger and crew information in advance has been the norm for airline and ship operators, such information is generally not readily available at land checkpoints, involving bus-car-passengers. The authorities, therefore, are looking into ways to implement similar measures at land checkpoints, according to the daily report. Meanwhile, enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore. 'This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the prosperous island state in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024," the daily said. People who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain crimes. On Thursday, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing volumes of travellers coming into the country. Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the country's borders in 2015. The diplomatic observers noted that it is also common for travellers to fly into Malaysia and then take a bus, taxi or car ride to Singapore. Shanmugam said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the completion of three major infrastructure projects in near future. Peninsular Malaysia's southernmost state capital of Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 is slated to open by the mid-2030s, and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint, a land-border checkpoint, is expected over the next 10 to 15 years, according to the broadsheet report. 'But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment," the minister said. To that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration clearance. This was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration clearance. All travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land checkpoints. As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. PTI GS NPK NPK (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 31, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Star
31-07-2025
- The Star
No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding Singapore-bound ships, flights
SINGAPORE: High-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to Singapore will soon be denied the chance to board air or sea transport to travel here. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will be able to issue no-boarding directives (NBDs) to transport operators to prevent such travellers from boarding ships and flights bound for Singapore. ICA plans to roll out the NBDs to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028. Transport operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to S$10,000. The move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on Dec 31, 2024. An initial plan, first reported in 2023, to weed out such passengers travelling into Singapore through land checkpoints faced roadblocks, as the proposal would have required bus operators to collect and submit passenger information in advance. Bus operators with routes across the Causeway had told The Straits Times in 2023 that the plan to submit in advance passenger information to ICA could be difficult to implement and might affect business. On July 31, ICA said that while collecting passenger and crew information in advance has been the norm for airline and ship operators, such information is generally not readily available at land checkpoints. ST understands the authorities are still looking into ways to implement similar measures at land checkpoints. Meanwhile, enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore. This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the Republic in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024. People who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain crimes. On July 31, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam attended the official opening of the ICA services centre (ISC) in Crawford Street. The centre, which came into service in April, is adjacent to the previous ICA building. Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing traveller volumes across the nation's borders. He pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the Republic's borders in 2015. Shanmugam said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System that is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 slated to open by the mid-2030s; and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint over the next 10 to 15 years. He said: 'But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment.' To that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration clearance. This was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration clearance. All travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land checkpoints. As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. Shanmugam said the implementation of QR-code clearance has been a game-changer for those travelling through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, with clearance time being reduced by up to 30 per cent from before. ICA is also planning to roll out its automated passenger clearance system (APCS) at the Tuas Checkpoint for those travelling in cars, motorcycles and cargo vehicles by end-2026, without the need to use counters manned by officers. ICA said the automated process will allow them to operate more efficiently. The APCS will be implemented at Woodlands Checkpoint at a later time. The authority said around 95 per cent of its services have gone digital, and more than 95 per cent of the public are submitting their applications online. Superintendent Kalaivanan Pannerchilvam, deputy director of customer operations at ICA, said: 'A key feature of the ISC is the self-collection kiosks, where eligible customers can collect their passports and identity cards via these kiosks, anytime within the date of appointment.' Those using the kiosks will need to input their personal identification information, and complete iris verification before collecting their documents. Customers can collect both their passports and identity cards on the same day in one transaction at the kiosk. The self-collection kiosks are part of the ISC's Integrated Smart Document Management system, which was launched in July. The retrieval and delivery of documents, which was previously managed by ICA officers, are now done by robots. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding Singapore-bound ships, flights
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. SINGAPORE – High-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to Singapore will soon be denied the chance to board air or sea transport to travel here. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will be able to issue no-boarding directives (NBDs) to transport operators to prevent such travellers from boarding ships and flights bound for Singapore. ICA plans to roll out the NBDs to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028. Transport operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to $10,000. The move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on Dec 31, 2024. An initial plan, first reported in 2023 , to weed out such passengers travelling into Singapore through land checkpoints faced roadblocks, as the proposal would have required bus operators to collect and submit passenger information in advance. Bus operators with routes across the Causeway had told The Straits Times in 2023 that the plan to submit in advance passenger information to ICA could be difficult to implement and might affect business. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Meanwhile, enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore. This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the Republic in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024 . People who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain crimes. On July 31, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam attended the official opening of the ICA services centre (ISC) in Crawford Street. The centre, which came into service in April, is adjacent to the previous ICA building. Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing traveller volumes across the nation's borders. He pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the Republic's borders in 2015. Mr Shanmugam said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System that is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 slated to open by the mid-2030s; and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint over the next 10 to 15 years. He said: 'But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment.' To that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration clearance. This was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration clearance. All travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land checkpoints. As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. Mr Shanmugam said the implementation of QR-code clearance has been a game-changer for those travelling through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, with clearance time being reduced by up to 30 per cent from before. ICA is also planning to roll out its automated passenger clearance system (APCS) at the Tuas Checkpoint for those travelling in cars, motorcycles and cargo vehicles by end-2026, without the need to use counters manned by officers. ICA said the automated process will allow them to operate more efficiently. The APCS will be implemented at Woodlands Checkpoint at a later time. The authority said around 95 per cent of its services have gone digital, and more than 95 per cent of the public are submitting their applications online. Superintendent Kalaivanan Pannerchilvam, deputy director of customer operations at ICA, said: 'A key feature of the ISC is the self-collection kiosks, where eligible customers can collect their passports and identity cards via these kiosks, anytime within the date of appointment.' Those using the kiosks will need to input their personal identification information, and complete iris verification before collecting their documents. Customers can collect both their passports and identity cards on the same day in one transaction at the kiosk. The self-collection kiosks are part of the ISC's Integrated Smart Document Management system, which was launched in July. The retrieval and delivery of documents, which was previously managed by ICA officers, are now done by robots.
