By EDDIE OSIFELO
SOLOMON Islands has collected about $157,268 from a total of 156 passport renewal applications in Australia from September 21 – December 23, 2020.
This came about after a collaboration work between Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Affairs and Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Immigration and Labour (MCIIL), where they posted Immigration Officers to Consulate in Brisbane and High Commission in Canberra.
Minister Jeremiah Manele said to renew passports, an application costs $1,145(AUD187) while an application to replace lost or damage passport is $1,488(AUD243).
He said should the fees be reviewed upwards, the Government could be collecting further more funds.
“I am pleased to announce an Immigration officer will soon be leaving for New Zealand to carry out similar task working in the country’s High Commission in Wellington.
“We hope more revenue will be collected from our nationals living in New Zealand,” he said.
