As effortless as simply passing through: ICA officer, 34, on the future of travel in S'pore

The dream looks like this.

You walk through immigration, you don’t have to do anything, not even pause — and then you’re through.

“Like you’re a car going through an ERP gantry or something,” explains Siau Han Yang.

“No need to take out stuff, or fiddle with things…

We’re already at a place where you just need to present your face [to the scanners].

But there are bigger dreams.”

Siau, 34, works at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

He’s part of the Future Ops and Transformation Branch, which means these dreams — and making them come true — are part of his job.

But when he first joined ICA nine years ago, the dreams were very different.

Manual counters and stamps

Travelling out of Singapore in 2017 — when Siau was a Team Leader (TL) at Tuas Checkpoint — was a very different experience as compared to now.

While there was some automated clearance, it was still largely done through manual counters (which, yes, includes physical passport-stamping).

“Every officer also needed to carry the heavy ‘chop boxes’ around. [It was] even heavier for us TLs, as we had more stamps,” he recalls.

Today, Tuas Checkpoint uses mostly automated counters, and “chop boxes” have officially retired since the introduction of the electronic Visit Pass in March 2022.

That’s not to say the rise of automation and technology can replace ICA officers completely, given that there are still plenty of complex situations that require critical judgment and operational skills.

Siau remembers one such instance when a dubious traveller tried to use a cancelled flight ticket to gain entry into Singapore.

"He claimed he had a hostel booking and showed us a flight to the onward destination, but when we checked with the airline, they told us the ticket was cancelled. There was also no evidence of his hostel booking," Siau tells me.

"He admitted he planned to use the same cancelled ticket to enter another country and then come back to Singapore again...

We also found messages and pictures on his phone about drug use, and he tested positive during screening."

Such complex cases require officers to exercise their investigative skills to keep Singapore safe, says Siau.

Going into policy

After a second stint at Woodlands Checkpoint, Siau joined the policy branch in 2019.

For this, he drew on his experience at the checkpoints, and sharpened his critical-thinking skills to learn the ropes of policy.

This dual exposure gave him a new appreciation for Singapore’s immigration processes, which he calls “actually quite amazing”.

“Providing such convenience to citizens, residents, and travellers takes significant effort to create and execute — from the ground level, all the way to senior management,” he adds.

It's tough work and often taken for granted, but is no less important.

A new track

About a year ago, Siau joined the Future Ops and Transformation branch as part of ICA’s Ops-Tech Track.

It basically means he’s an innovation specialist. Ops-Tech Track officers get trained to be leaders in innovation, and this includes going for courses about upcoming technologies.

The result is that they work on dreams: new ways of clearing immigration. Cutting-edge technologies. Creating the future of travel.

In 2024, ICA rolled out passport-less QR clearance, so you can clear immigration by scanning a code. Recently, they also started rolling out face-scanning for motorcyclists at Woodlands Checkpoint, replacing the older method of fingerprint checks.

While the process of clearing immigration has come a long way since he was an officer in 2017, it can still be better, faster, Siau tells me.

One project Siau is working on is an automated passenger clearance system at checkpoints for travellers in cars. “So you don’t even need the staff at the counter anymore,” he enthuses.

This means one officer can oversee multiple counters, which will allow more counters to be opened, and more vehicles to be cleared.

“It’ll make life a lot faster and easier.”

Bigger dreams lie ahead

But what happens after the dream comes true?

Say you walk into an airport or drive into a checkpoint, and you cross a national boundary like it’s not there — then what?

“We can go even beyond that,” Siau assures me. Outside of what the public sees and can imagine, there’s plenty more brewing behind-the-scenes to make immigration smoother, safer, and more seamless.

It is, of course, hard work. He admits candidly that being on the Ops-Tech Track is far more fast-paced and complex than his previous postings, as the work requires innovative approaches that have no precedent.

He still finds time for the things that are important to him. His wife, his dog (Chooper), his social and family commitments. “We make it work,” he says.

More than that, it is good, meaningful work.

When Siau first joined ICA, he was a history major with no special experience in immigration. He was just looking for a safe, financially stable job that contributes to Singapore.

He certainly didn’t expect to be conceptualising the future of immigration in Singapore. “I really thought I would just be a Team Leader for a long, long time,” he laughs.

“I really didn't know that there's so many different career options or career opportunities that one can explore.”

Although he attributes his career progression mostly to well-timed opportunities and a bit of luck, he’s also thankful for his colleagues and the environment that have made it possible.

“I can at least say that I did something meaningful in my career and life,” Siau tells me with a smile.

I try to imagine what it's like, seeing millions of people benefit from the projects that you helped bring to life.

I don't quite succeed, but it's a pretty cool thought, anyway.

Join ICA

Interested in the work that Siau and his team do?

Discover more about ICA’s job opportunities at their public exhibition “ICA’s Next Chapter” on May 8 at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention.

You can also check out this website to learn about career opportunities at ICA.

ICA Next Chapter

Address: Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention, Level 3

Date: May 8, 2026

Time: 2pm to 8pm

This sponsored article made the writer dream of the day she can cross the Causeway like it’s Orchard Road.

Top photo courtesy of Immigration & Checkpoints Authority