Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the project had been running for two years since the contract was awarded in March 2021.

The project is supposed to be fully implemented in August 2025.

“I must report on its progress since the project was awarded two years ago, I cannot hide a single thing,” Bernama quoted him as saying during a dialogue session with the media in Putrajaya today.

Saifuddin said there were some shortcomings and elements that slowed down the implementation, such as human resources and capacity constraints.

He said home ministry secretary-general Ruji Ubi had been instructed to hold several meetings to monitor NIISe’s progress and help prepare the Cabinet paper.

Saifuddin said the Cabinet would make a decision about NIISe after the presentation of the paper.

NIISe is the successor to the 20-year-old Malaysian immigration system (MyIMMs) and seeks to incorporate biometric technology to enable the adoption of e-Gates at immigration checkpoints.

In a separate development, Saifuddin said the ministry aimed to process 10,000 citizenship applications this year. A total of 5,600 applications have been approved to date.

“The application for citizenship status is clearly stated in the constitution and the ministry just has to follow accordingly.”