The Department of Immigration and Citizenship goes online in Australia The Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia has been highly appreciated for the successful implementation of Visa Wizard and Citizenship Wizard project. This has been the most outstanding initiatives in e-government in Australia that have been implemented in the past year. The Visa Wizard is an interactive, client self-service tool designed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to provide prospective travellers and migrants with customized information about their visa options. Equally the Citizenship Wizard provides citizenship information to the users based on their individual circumstances. Both Wizards are easily accessed via the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere in the world. This new internet-based tool enables easier access to clear, consistent and instant information. Visa Wizard and Citizenship Wizard project has developed an interactive, self-service tool for its citizens and others seeking information about visa and citizenship requirements in Australia. It also highlights how ICT can be resourcefully applied to the delivery of government services, not only for the benefit of the citizens, but also for prospective Australians and visitors to the country. Definitely, this project will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government administration and service delivery. In fact, these products help highlight Australia as an innovator in the development and delivery of e-government services and promote further innovation in the Government sector. Visit : — http://www.immi.gov.au/visawizard/ — http://www.citizenship.gov.au/citizenshipwizard/
One-stop doorway for Northern Ireland citizens Government of Ireland has set up an official website for its citizens classifying into different segments e.g. young people, people with disabilities, parents, citizens over 50s, jobseekers and lot more. The portal aims at delivering information on various aspects such as travel and transport, crime, justice and law, education and learning, health and well being instantly. The portal also covers issues related to motoring, property and housing, employment, environment and greener living, taxation, citizens and rights efficiently as well as effectively. Video section contains videos on several issues like swine flu awareness, parenting, travel and others. Videos are categorically divided into: Browse by people, Browse by subject. Contact Section make citizens easy to find government departments, public bodies and local councils. It is a tool to find contact information for the public sector, charity and voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland. Not everyone lives in a 9 to 5 world, and Do it online service means one doesn't have to. Do it online service is an agglomeration of convenience, security, ease of use, speedy, flexible that enables the citizens to access all the benefits any time and any place respectively. This is very fast, cheap and innovative ICT step of the Northern Ireland Government enabling the citizens get things done without getting intricate into the complicated manual or paper filling forms. Visit: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index.htm
Official website of UAE Prime Minister launched An official website www.uaepm.ae for Prime Minister of the UAE has been launched as part of an effort to improve communication between the UAE Prime Minister and citizens and residents in the UAE. The website is a good platform for all official information related to the Prime Minister and the federal government of United Arab Emirate. The official website is available in both Arabic and English, and it covers a variety of important areas. A section is dedicated for presenting the roles and responsibilities of the vice president and prime minister of the UAE. Others sections are dedicated for covering the daily news of His Highness the Prime Minister, the latest developments at the federal government level, as well as His Highness's statements, quotes, and speeches at the various occasions. The website also covers the basic principles, goals, and highlights of the UAE federal government strategy, the biographies of previous prime ministers, along with information taken from the UAE constitution about the structure and specialization of the Cabinet as well as the different entities representing the authority of the Federal Government. Similarly, and reaffirming the guiding principle of positioning citizens and residents at the core of government efforts and in the centre of its strategy, a page has been established to enable everyone in the UAE to communicate directly with the Prime Minister of the UAE. Users can fill electronic forms to raise their comments and suggestions about any matter related to the federal government of the UAE through the website: www.uaepm.ae. This portal is created in line with the Dubai eGovernment initiative for a better public interaction with the government agencies. Visit: http://www.uaepm.ae/en/index.html
SMS Service for tracking ID, Passports in Kenya As a new initiative of Kenyan government, the service called e-Service Delivery Project was launched in Nairobi recently. Now the Citizens of Kenya can track the application status of their Identity Cards and/or Passport, both online as well as by SMS. An SMS service that allows applicants of passports to track the processing of their Identity Cards and Passports has been highly appreciated and welcomed by the citizens. The new e-Government service would save citizens, especially those living upcountry, time and money. At the cost of five shillings, members of the public will be able to access and query the manner and speed at which the Government is delivering services. Online tracking allows citizens to track at their own convenience whereas the SMS service will initially be available to only subscribers of Safaricom service provider. This allows a user to either go straight to the National Registration Bureau (NRB) Services or the Immigration Services. The applicant needs to send an SMS of the tracking number to 2031 for ID and 2032 for Passport. This e-Service is a communication and information sharing forum between citizens, Ministry of State and Registration of Persons, Public Sector Reform and Performance Contracting (PSR&PC) and the Directorate of e-Government. The SMS e-Service Delivery Project is an interactive communication. It entails: — Customer enquiries — Institutional responses — Tracking of service status The government will expand this service to cover other key areas of service delivery such as Lands and Health. The project is a joint effort of departments of immigration, e-government and public sector reforms.