Directorate General for Immigration Reveals the Granting of Stay Permit for Foreigners Still Hampered by IMTA
Dirjen for Information and Public Communication, Ministry of Communications and Informatics, Rosarita Niken, witnessed the opening of the thematic discussion of Bakohumas at Manhattan Hotel.
With regard to the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and considering more and more countries which have been granted Visa-Free Travel facilities for tourism purposes, the intensity of the traffic of people between countries in Indonesia has resulted in a significant increase. For this reason, the Directorate-General for immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights continues to improve performance regarding the granting of stay permits and supervision of foreigners.
“This is consistent with the instructions of President Jokowi targeting Indonesia to meet rank 40 in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) by 2017. In 2015, Indonesia ranked 109, still far from expected, particularly compared to neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia,” said Head of Public Relations, Law, and Cooperation of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Efendi B Parangin Angin during the thematic forum of the governmental public relations coordinating board (Bakohumas) at Manhattan Hotel, Jakarta, Tuesday (4/10) morning.
Efendi added that one of the Directorate General for Immigration tasks is to provide ease and comfort for foreigners (WNA) to have a stay permit including for those who are on leisure, work, or doing business in Indonesia. It is for this reason the Bakohumas thematic forum was held.
Many Issues
Director General of Information and Public Communication, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, Rosarita Niken, also gave a speech on the occasion saying that there are many issues related to immigration. For example, the case of foreign medical workers who lived in Indonesia and open a practice but do not have permits. Moreover, many foreign artists who also worked in Indonesia.
Niken mentioned the Presidential Regulation on Visa-Free Travel for tourists, but in practice many of which are used for work. Likewise, with regard to stay permit up to 30 days, many who use it for work and it is not in accordance with the intention of issuing the regulation. “It is expected that members of Bakohumas can synergize to respond to the issue of foreign workers (TKA),” Niken asked.
In this regard, Head of Public Relations, Law, and Cooperation of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Efendi B Parangin Angin said that under the Government Regulation Number 31 of 2013 on Immigration, Article 142, paragraph two letter d, and Article 151, Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) can be granted to foreigners who are planning to work in the territory of Indonesia by enclosing a letter of recommendation from the institution and/or the relevant government agencies.
In order to improve the service and control functions of the locality and activities of foreigners, Efendi continued, Immigration requires accurate data relating to the identity of foreigners, guardian, and also work permits through active involvement with the Ministry of Manpower, or Offices of Manpower in the provinces.
In order to obtain accurate data, according to Efendi, Immigration faces problems due to delays in Permits of Hiring Foreign Workers (IMTA) from the Ministry of Manpower or Offices of Manpower in the provinces so that the service of Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) for foreigners, especially foreign workers is not yet optimal.
The thematic discussion featured three speakers, among other, Director of Stay Permit of Immigration, the Directorate General for Immigration Friemnent FS Aruan, S.H., M.H., Director of Manpower of the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Hadi Saputro, M.A. and Head of Sub Directorate for Secondary Sector of Permit Services, the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Abdul Hanan, S.H., M.M.
It is expected that this event could disseminate and drive Indonesias economic growth in terms of Ease of Doing Business and tourism sector. “Therefore, the target of Top 40 of the EoDB launched by President Joko Widodo can be realized,” Effendi concluded.
(DNA/MIT/ES) (ARD/YM)
