New ID Card

Yesterday, I went to Immigration Department to sort out a new ID card. I was able to book an appointment over the internet, although it wasn't very busy. I can remember when getting an ID card was a half day's work. Yesterday, I was in there for about 90 mins, so it was just a long lunch break. Mind you, working a few minutes walk from Immigration Tower is a big help!

The drill is the same as normal: turn up with your form and supporting documentation, get your picture taken, your fingerprints recorded and every thing put on record. There's then a short interview with an Immigration Officer just to make sure that they haven't given an ID card to Osama Bin Laden or George Bush or some other undesirables.

These days, everything is digital, so you have a good few tries to get a decent photograph and you don't have inky fingerprints for a while.

In my case, the supporting documentation was my letter of Right of Abode, so I guess the whole process was very streamlined. Sometimes, if you have an employment visa, your company can cock up the supporting documentation with a bad sponsoring letter.

Now I've got my little docket - basically a paper copy of my new ID card, and an appointment to pick up the real deal in two weeks. It'll be interesting to see the differences between a conditional and permanent ID card.