New smart I-cards for foreign students
CYBERJAYA: All 66,580 foreign students registered in universities and colleges will receive their new smart I-cards over the next three months. The light green card is valid for up to five years, depending on the duration of their studies. It will replace the current student identification card and must be carried at all times in lieu of passports.
The student I-cards have 17 security features, including a ghost image on the photograph, micro-text, ultra-violet logos, embossed printing and biometric information. Incorporating new locally-developed technology, the cards don’t need to be authenticated by a smart card reader. Instead, enforcement officials need only to key in the serial number and send it via short messaging service (SMS) to a certain number for verification.
Twenty-nine foreign students from seven institutions of higher learning received their new I-Cards yesterday at a ceremony at the LimKokWing University of Creative Technology. The cards were handed out by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamad. "Foreign students have the freedom to move about in Malaysia with this card, as long as they abide by the law," Radzi said.
The cards will be issued free for the current batch of 66,580 foreign students. They do not have to apply as data from their student passes, which must still be renewed yearly with the Immigration Department, will be automatically used to produce their new I-Cards. Radzi said the government had not decided if subsequent batches of foreign students would have to pay for the cards. However, there will be a fee to replace lost or stolen cards.
The I-cards, together with the online visa or e-pass and the one-stop processing centre for foreign students applying to study here, are meant to curb the abuse of student identification documents for work purposes. At a joint press conference with Radzi, Mustapa said the e-pass would be available from Friday and it would be processed at the one-stop centre in the Immigration Department. "At the centre, officers from Immigration and my ministry will process applications for student visas together. It will facilitate entry for legitimate foreign students and stop those who want to abuse the system." Radzi said smart cards similar to the student I-cards would be issued soon for expatriates and foreign workers.
The new Straits Time
The student I-cards have 17 security features, including a ghost image on the photograph, micro-text, ultra-violet logos, embossed printing and biometric information. Incorporating new locally-developed technology, the cards don’t need to be authenticated by a smart card reader. Instead, enforcement officials need only to key in the serial number and send it via short messaging service (SMS) to a certain number for verification.
Twenty-nine foreign students from seven institutions of higher learning received their new I-Cards yesterday at a ceremony at the LimKokWing University of Creative Technology. The cards were handed out by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamad. "Foreign students have the freedom to move about in Malaysia with this card, as long as they abide by the law," Radzi said.
The cards will be issued free for the current batch of 66,580 foreign students. They do not have to apply as data from their student passes, which must still be renewed yearly with the Immigration Department, will be automatically used to produce their new I-Cards. Radzi said the government had not decided if subsequent batches of foreign students would have to pay for the cards. However, there will be a fee to replace lost or stolen cards.
The I-cards, together with the online visa or e-pass and the one-stop processing centre for foreign students applying to study here, are meant to curb the abuse of student identification documents for work purposes. At a joint press conference with Radzi, Mustapa said the e-pass would be available from Friday and it would be processed at the one-stop centre in the Immigration Department. "At the centre, officers from Immigration and my ministry will process applications for student visas together. It will facilitate entry for legitimate foreign students and stop those who want to abuse the system." Radzi said smart cards similar to the student I-cards would be issued soon for expatriates and foreign workers.
The new Straits Time
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