The immigration services at the Coimbatore International Airport, hitherto handled by the Security Branch CID of the State Police machinery, was formally taken over by the Bureau of Immigration from Wednesday.
Coimbatore Airport was notified as an International Airport in 2012 and the immigration works were handled by the Security Branch on behalf of the Bureau of Immigration.
The formal takeover took place in the presence of N. Kannan, an IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre currently on deputation as Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Chennai, with the Bureau of Immigration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The takeover happened on an as is where is basis, sources added.
The Bureau of Immigration has brought in additional staff with a Chief Immigration Officer heading the immigration unit at Coimbatore Airport. The existing immigration officials from the Security Branch upon antecedent verification are likely to be taken on deputation, sources added.
Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration Tracking System (IVFRT), a Rs 1,000 crore project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Government of India has been implemented in Coimbatore City and District with effect from April 22.
The project helps in online submission of application by foreigners for availing of various immigration services at the Foreigners Registration Offices — FROs (Commissioner of Police and Superintendent of Police — Coimbatore Rural are the Foreigners Registration Officers).
Under this new mode, foreigners need to submit their forms online and get the appointment fixed with FROs.
The new NeGP module also helps in e-transmission of files averting the risks in physical transmission of files and also the time consumed in physical transfer of files from the regions to Chennai and then to New Delhi.
This also helps in easily tracking foreigners who overstay in India, sources added.
With this, hotels, hospitals can register with the Bureau of Immigration or FRRO and get a user ID and password for filing forms relating to foreign guests and transmit the data of the foreign guests on a real time basis.
Foreigners visiting India on business, tour and checking into hotels, guesthouses and service apartments could submit Form C available in URL http://indianfrro.gov.
in/frro/FormC. FSIS is a system of foreign students who come under the Foreign Students Registration and Tracking, a module of IVFRT they could avail of and submit form S from the URL http://indianfrro/ gov.in/fsis
In case of any difficulty in accessing these websites and in using any of the modules, e-mails could be sent to boichn.cformhelpdesk @nic.in or phone call made to 044-22564752.
