Selangor Immigration modernising its operations and services
PETALING JAYA: Plans are underway to modernise the Selangor Immigration Department’s operations and services for 2026, including using artificial intelligence-powered chatbots, says state director Khairrul Aminus Kamaruddin (pic).
He added that he wants the department to implement the use of the chatbots to gradually replace manual processes for handling complaints, making the system faster and more reliable.
“Previously, the number of complaints was very high.
“Everyone relied on email and flyers and we accepted them, but monitoring was difficult for the officers here,” he said.
“If there is a chatbot that can be developed in the future, and when someone submits a complaint, the chatbot immediately responds with: ‘Your complaint has been received and noted.’
“It even provides updates like ‘Immigration will come at a certain time’,” he said in an interview.
He also said that an airline company has adapted this method.
However, he added that such plans will take up time, cost and manpower.
Khairrul Aminus also hoped that there will be biometrics and facial recognition facilities in the future to improve efficiency and enforcement at Malaysia’s airports.
“I also want to embrace AI through a proper system which can help in identifying people more easily.
“Imagine a thousand people lining up at the immigration checkpoint. Cameras scan their faces and through facial recognition we can identify who are genuine or illegal foreign workers, for example.
“In that way, the system directs them into the right queues.
“At any of the Malaysian airports, when people enter, the system can scan their faces and it can immediately detect overstayers.
“This is the plan for the future. There is no such prototype yet, but we really need it,” he added.
Khairrul Aminus said he hopes that e-gates can be installed at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Petaling Jaya, which is under the purview of the Selangor Immigration Department.
Two airports are equipped with the e-gate system, which are the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2 and the Johor Baru checkpoint.
“Maybe we can install the e-gates next year. The e-gates can help accelerate passenger entry,” he said, adding that plans on e-gates are included under the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) budget.
“Right now, we have eight counters for immigration. But just imagine if it’s just one flight with all the counters without the e-gate system. It can take 30 minutes to clear all of them,” he said.
Khairrul Aminus also said that there are plans to relocate the state immigration office from the PKNS building in Shah Alam to another location to ensure customers can enjoy better and improved services.
“We want to have a separate place at Section 6 Shah Alam, which is still under planning by the Public Works Department, although the budget has already been approved for this,” he added.
