15th September 2022 — President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has instructed to change the immigration system completely. This matter is done due to the fact that a great number of investors and tourists have a hard time receiving resident permits in Indonesia. Jokowi also received complaints regarding the immigration system in Indonesia being still too regulated and controlled.
Through this problem, Jokowi hopes that the issue could be handled in any way possible. He even threatens to change the Director General (Dirjen) and its underlying completely in order to fix the immigration issues.
A public policy observer, Agus Pambagio, elaborated on three main immigration issues that Indonesia is facing right now. Here are the three main problems that he listed:
KITAS Handling Issues
According to Pambagio, foreigners still have to “meet people” to process immigration documents for visas and KITAS which, has the potential for problems. He pointed out that there’s a potential for corrupt transactions happening. KITAS is a limited stay permit given to foreigners to stay in Indonesia for a limited amount of time.
In this case, the preparation of the documents needed for KITAS can open up an opportunity for brokers.
On the other hand, Trisakti University public policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah assessed that law enforcement related to KITAS is still underperforming. An example is a case from Cikarang regarding KITAS, where several foreigners are found not to have KITAS for a long period of time. Furthermore, the fines are still light thus, there are a lot of foreigners committing violations.
In regards to the KITAS problem, Rahadiansyah points out that it’s the mistake of both the Government, which has yet to be accountable, and the foreigners, who among them still wouldn’t report thus weakening the law enforcement regarding it.
Visa on Arrival Handling Issues
According to Pambagio, long lines to pay for Visa on Arrival (VoA) could be handled through the use of technology. It’s also to lessen the chance for corruption and increase efficiency for tourists to get in Indonesia as they just need to register online and scan QR code when arriving as an example.
Visa Free RI is yet to be Reciprocal
Another issue stated by Pambagio is that Visa Free RI is yet to be reciprocal. An example is that if Indonesia allowed visa-free to Japan, Japan should have given visa-free to Indonesia.
According to him, many countries listed in the presidential regulation regarding visa exemption still have not provided reciprocity. There are 140 out of 160 countries able to enter Indonesia visa-free meanwhile, it’s not the same for Indonesians.
“In regards to visa-free, it should be renewed. Which means we can give free visas to other countries, but we also ask for a free visa to the country too,” he said.
