Allow me the opportunity to highlight a problem I encountered with the renewal of the machine-readable passport. The entire process is an exercise in time-wasting and frustration, not to mention lost hours in productivity.
Three hours waiting for a renewal which could have easily taken 15 minutes or less, including taking out the photo. Three hours multiplied by at least 100 people per day is quite a lot of time. Having to complete the passport form with details which can be had by simply "reading" the passport with the respective machine shows that those who are in charge are not the "sharpest tools in the shed."
The only relevant sections which may be important and likely to change over the course of the five-year period for which it is issued are "marital status" and "citizenship status." There is a zero per cent chance that one's birth certificate pin, parents' names and all the other useless sections can change or have an impact on the issuance. Even prisoners or convicted people, if need be for extradition purposes, can get a passport or some travel document.
Additionally, all other relevant information is contained in a database at Immigration Office. I would suggest that the renewal form for the machine readable passport should require the completion of three sections only:
1. Marital Status
2. Citizenship status
3. Declaration of Applicant
Barring no change in one and/or two, the previous recommender would most likely recommend again and references can be anybody, and are basically irrelevant at this point.
Andy Jangeesingh
Via e-mail