IOM, in close cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (MoI), is organizing five one-week trainings targeting a total of 100 government immigration officials from 05 February 2017 to 09 March 2017 on passport examination procedures in order to support security measures at Egypt’s border entry and exit points. An evaluation workshop would conclude the series of trainings on 12 March 2017. The trainings are being conducted at the Police Academy in Cairo. 

The trainings are facilitated by senior immigration officers, who already attended the same training and under the supervision of one of IOM’s experts who had facilitated several previous trainings. The trainers had also received a Training of Trainers (ToT) instruction course where they were certified for teaching roles and hence were selected by the trainings’ facilitator to roll out ongoing passport examination courses to MoI officers. This ensures that the skills and techniques they had acquired might be shared in a systematic and sustainable manner with as many fellow immigration officers as possible.

Participants acquire in-depth, hands-on experience using verification equipment to identify forged documents through inspecting security features such as the structure and manufacture of passports, security inks, fibres and threads, perforation methods and printing techniques. “We would like to thank IOM and MoI for this valuable training. As trainers now, we will ensure that fellow border officers receive the same training to ensure its sustainability and reach to a greater number of border officials to enhance the country’s border management procedures,” said one of the officers who received the ToT.

IOM Egypt also recently delivered equipment to the MoI that would help in detecting fraud and manipulation of Passports and IDs and would support daily migration management operations at Alexandria Sea Port, in line with the overall enhancement of exit and entry points. It plans to deliver more equipment to build the capacity of frontline officers at Egyptian entry and exit points.

The training and equipment have been funded by the Government of Japan as part of an IOM project: “Strengthening Technical and Operational Practices to Address Irregular Migration at Egyptian Entry and Exit Points.” The project also supports the improvement of infrastructure at entry and exit points.