To make matters worse, the trip was scheduled on a Monday but he was only informed on the Friday afternoon prior.
Software engineer, Lee Yew Sin, 27, was in a dilemma. Missing the trip would mean the end of his promotion.
However, it was music to his ears when he heard that passports could be renewed in just an hour in Kuching, and to his utter relief and delight, the Immigration Office was also open during weekends.
However, he said, Persons with Disabilities (OKU) and children below 12 years of age would be exempted from the system.
For a start, the system would be installed at 61 of the 96 entry points into the country and the rest by end of the year, he told reporters here.
Read more: MY: Biometric System For Foreigners To Be Implemented Next Month
A software engineer, Mohamad Shuhaimi Yusoff, said such a move would not be possible due to the sheer volume of communications, saying the government would have to monitor millions of emails, even if only half of Malaysia's 27 million population were subscribing to the service.
Read more: MY: Unlikely For Government To Use Myemail.my To Monitor Communications
Up to two million people -- mostly from neighbouring Indonesia and Myanmar -- work in Malaysia illegally, authorities say. Those arrested for working illegally or overstaying are deported but many try to return.
A pilot system, implemented at several entry points like the Kuala Lumpur International Airport since late last month, requires visitors to give prints of both index fingers, immigration spokesman Abdul Haidir Mohamad Sukor said.
They took the challenge in their stride and provided various ICT related services and shorter transaction time. This is especially visible in the payment mechanism.
MEPS, single windows and payment gateways are now fundamental in the government approach to provide transparent, efficient and innovative transactions as propagated in the e-government initiative.
Read more: MY: Business, too, must adopt lean and transparent processes