Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[Photo: File]
The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is calling for Fiji’s immigration enforcement to shift from a largely complaint-driven approach to proactive, intelligence-led detection.
Committee Chairperson Lenora Qereqeretabua raised the concern while presenting the committee’s consolidated review of the Office of the Prime Minister and Fijian Immigration
Department annual reports in Parliament.
Qereqeretabua said investigations remain largely complaint-driven, while fraudulent documentation, permit breaches, worker exploitation and trafficking continue to pose significant risks.
“We therefore recommend stronger enforcement of removal orders, greater investment in intelligence systems, and a shift from complaint-driven enforcement towards proactive and intelligence-led detection.”
The committee says the change should be supported by appropriate technology and training.
It also recommends stronger enforcement of immigration removal orders, which it says are being issued but are not consistently executed.
The committee is further calling for stronger accountability for employers who exploit foreign workers.
Qereqeretabua says these measures are important given Immigration’s role in protecting Fiji’s borders and managing the entry and stay of foreign nationals.
The committee’s review covers the 2019 to 2023 reporting periods and includes the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and Immigration’s transition from a department to a standalone ministry.
Parliament unanimously agreed to note the contents of the report.
