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The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Building:
A Hub for Travelers and Residents |
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Singapore may be a small country, but it is a stable and prosperous multi-racial
city-state with a reputation for non-corruption. As a result, it attracts
tourists and prospective residents. Many Singapore residents like to travel
abroad to escape their fast-paced city life, and hence, the Immigration and
Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building is a place they will need to visit at least
once. This grey, multi-storeyed building stands adjacent to the Lavender MRT
(mass rapid transit) station and receives a steady stream of visitors from dawn
to dusk.
The ICA building has several levels catering to the various needs of the
visitors. People come to apply, renew, extend, or collect passports and forms or
passes related to residence, immigration, or citizenship. A visitor will usually
head for the information counters first, where their request will be assigned a
queue number at a given counter. Then, they will head for the required storey
and counter and wait for the perpetually busy clerks to call out their number.
The Immigration Officers work behind closed doors in their office booths.
Occasionally, they will come out to clarify something or hand over some papers
to the clerks. When people are ushered into the offices, they are interviewed
for the issue of the documents they are requesting. The merits of their case are
considered according to rules and regulations, and its progress according to due
process, for this is a country that prides itself on its 'clean' and efficient
reputation.
People of different races and cultures are seen in the ICA building, trickling
in at early dawn, patiently waiting for the doors to open and avoid the crush of
public applicants who come later. The crowds swell to their maximum just before
lunchtime. At this time, many people head for the canteen on the ground floor to
receive food for their hungry stomachs. A casual observer will hear topics of
conversation ranging from holidays abroad to problems of applying for
citizenship.
By 4 p.m., the crowds thin out, and more people are seen leaving rather than
entering the building. The doors of the building close promptly at 5 p.m. When
dusk settles in and the evening shadows become longer, the place becomes silent
and empty. The building and its staff will rest and recharge for the next day,
which will be another busy day when the doors open again. |
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