The Sierra Leone Immigration Department has presented its 2026–2027 Work Plan to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Morie Lengor Esq., as part of efforts to strengthen accountability, improve service delivery and enhance institutional performance.
The plan, presented at the Department’s headquarters on 14 Gloucester Street in Freetown, outlines four key deliverables to be implemented over the next 14 months.
Presenting the document on Monday 31 August 2026, Chief Immigration Officer, Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, said the Department’s priorities include reviewing immigration legislation and regulations, transforming passport services from paper-based processing to an online application system and expanding passport services for Sierra Leoneans living abroad.
The proposed diaspora passport services will target Sierra Leoneans residing in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Far East.
Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio disclosed that significant progress had already been made in reviewing the Immigration Act, with the relevant policy and Cabinet papers submitted for consideration. He noted, however, that work on the accompanying regulations and the rollout of diaspora passport services had yet to commence.
According to the implementation schedule, work on the regulations is expected to begin by 20 September 2026, while presidential assent to the proposed legislation is anticipated by November 2026. The regulations are expected to be gazetted in December 2026, alongside the nationwide introduction of online passport applications.
To improve public access to passport services, the Immigration Department is partnering with Africell to provide free Wi-Fi, document-scanning facilities and application assistance at selected service centres.
The Department is also pursuing partnerships with Sierra Leonean embassies and diplomatic missions abroad to establish passport application services for citizens in the diaspora. The initiative is expected to be launched by March 2027.
Responding to the presentation, Minister of Internal Affairs, Morie Lengor, said he had been engaging formally and informally with the Chief Immigration Officer on matters relating to the Department’s operations and institutional performance.
He urged the Department to ensure that all necessary documents are properly prepared and submitted on time for consideration by the relevant authorities.
The Minister further stressed that adequate preparation, timely submission of documents and effective implementation would be critical to achieving the priorities outlined in the Work Plan.
Minister Morie Lengor expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded by the Immigration Department under the leadership of Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio and encouraged the institution to maintain the momentum as it works to modernize passport services and strengthen immigration administration across the country.
