All areas of Migration and Citizenship Service to be digitised by year-end – Arpine Sargsyan

All areas of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs will be digitised by the end of this year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported, citing Minister Arpine Sargsyan.

“We note that by the end of the year, all areas of the Migration and Citizenship Service will be digitised. We do not envisage any change to the deadline in this regard,” Arpine Sargsyan said.

On August 27, a working discussion chaired by Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan was held, during which a preliminary version of an online platform being introduced to digitise the acceptance and processing of applications for residence status in Armenia was presented.

The discussion was attended by Nelli Davtyan, Acting Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and representatives of the Service.

The introduction of the new platform is prompted by amendments to the Law on Foreigners, under which services provided as part of the process of obtaining residence status in the Republic of Armenia will be digitised from November 1.

With the introduction of the new software solutions, it is planned to digitise not only the submission of applications, but also their subsequent processing and the conduct of administrative proceedings. The digitisation of the system will help reduce the volume of paperwork, optimise administrative processes and improve the quality of service delivery.

The discussion addressed details concerning the launch of the platform and the application process, the possibilities for automatic data verification and obtaining the necessary information from state information systems, as well as the main features intended for different beneficiaries. Ways to simplify the processes and organise them more efficiently were also discussed.

Addressing the efficiency and usability of the platform, Arpine Sargsyan emphasised the importance of completing the digitisation work within the established deadlines and to the required standard.

The Minister stressed that digitisation should not be carried out solely at the technical level, but should also be accompanied by a review of service delivery processes with the aim of simplifying them as much as possible and making them more citizen-centred.

“We note that as a result of these and the remaining changes, all areas of the Migration and Citizenship Service will be digitised by the end of the year. We do not envisage any change to the deadline in this regard,” the Interior Minister emphasised.

Minister Sargsyan instructed officials to continue work on improving the platform, taking into account the issues and proposals raised during the discussion, and to ensure the full implementation of the necessary functions.