Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said the complex currently has 1,074 personnel compared with the 1,347 required, adding that the shortfall will be filled at the end of the month.

“Aside from that, 700 new immigration posts have been approved by the government this year, with the majority of them to be placed at the BSI CIQ (Johor Bahru Causeway), the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ (in Tanjung Kupang for the Second Link) and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), all of which are experiencing a shortage of staff,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

Ruslin said the department will also implement a new shift change formula at land entry and exit points at the two Johor CIQs to ensure that all counters are open during peak hours.

He said the new formula, which will be announced next week, was important to address peak-hour traffic congestion due to shift change.

“This is one of the issues raised by Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi recently regarding the shift change, which is a critical time,” he said.

He said the department will make sure that the shift change did not take place during peak hours to ensure smooth traffic dispersion, especially for those entering Singapore.

An initiative to combine 38 counters at BSI involving the immigration, road transport department and Touch ‘n Go processes was also ongoing.

Aimed at shortening the time it would take vehicles to enter the country, 19 counters have completed the exercise, which was expected to be fully finalised by year-end.

Earlier, Ruslin inspected the BSI CIQ with Johor public works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Fazli Salleh.