Immigration Officers Create Two-Way Information Flow

~~Adz:Left~~TORTOLA, B.V.I – Immigration Officers participating in the training workshop here this week have been credited with sharing excellent ideas on various immigration procedures which facilitators say they will definitely take back to the United Kingdom (UK) to share with colleagues there.

One of the facilitators of the workshop, Mr. Kevin Jones, who is the Head of Learning & Development Delivery for the UK Border Agency, praised participants for being very interactive and for creating an experience that is mutually beneficial to the trainers and trainees.

During this week’s training exercise, immigration officers are being exposed to a variety of subject areas including Visas and Ticketing, Effective Immigration Control and Operating the Internal Border.

Mr. Jones said “What we hope to bring is some skills that we have learnt in the UK around interviewing passengers, forgery detection, risks assessment, some project management principles, leadership and management skills and also about deploying resources in the operational context.”

Like Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, noted in his speech at the opening of the workshop on Monday, Mr. Jones said immigration officers have to strike a delicate balance between their job as law enforcement officers and ambassadors providing a first impression of the Territory.

Mr. Jones said “We looked specifically at the fine balance between having an immigration control which is effective and also having a service where we welcome tourists, foreign investors, that sort of thing.”

He added that “Initially someone who says they are coming here to be a tourist or a business visitor may actually turn out to be someone coming to work illegally and it’s only after an in-depth interview that we find out the truth of the matter.”

When faced with such circumstances, the UK based trainer advises immigration officers to use compassion but enforce the law. “Unfortunately, if they don’t fit with the legislation of the island, they can’t come in but that is not to say we still should not have respect for the person. What we have to bear in mind is that even if we have to send them back to their home country, we have to do it with compassion; we have to do it professionally.”

The training workshop which is being held under the theme, Enhancing Border Protection with Quality Service, will wrap up on Friday. It is organised by the Department of Immigration and the Premier’s Office, under which portfolio it falls. The Immigration Department is responsible for securing the borders of the Territory through the delivery of efficient and impartial service.