MUAR – Malaysia and Singapore are targeting January next year to launch a new digital immigration system and additional border clearance lanes to ease congestion at the two countries' land checkpoints.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the initiative will be launched jointly with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong once technical preparations and infrastructure are completed.

“God willing, I will launch it together with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong once it is ready, likely in January. It will resolve many issues, including a more advanced digital immigration system to facilitate movement,” he said at the Temu Anwar Johor Ke Depan programme on July 5, as reported by Bernama.

Anwar stressed that the project was not a new election promise, saying any new policy announcements during the campaign period would be against the law.

He said the Home Ministry, through the Immigration Department, is also stepping up efforts to speed up clearance at the country's entry points.

“The Immigration Department will facilitate the movement, and once the system is ready, it will include new travel arrangements from Singapore to Johor Bahru,” he said.

Anwar said border operations have improved compared with three years ago but added that the government is continuing efforts to further strengthen immigration processes.

He said the government is also pursuing long-term measures to reduce reliance on cross-border employment by expanding high-value industries in Malaysia.

“We want to address this issue because our people working in Singapore have to queue for hours. They should not be burdened this way, so we must find a solution.

“We must find ways, whether through artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, modern or new technologies, so that our people can work here with good income and no longer need to cross over,” he said.

Anwar added that keeping housing affordable through initiatives such as Rumah Madani is equally important to help young people in Johor Bahru own homes despite rapid development in the city.