Immigration Minister Viliame Naupoto says the world operates in a vastly different landscape than when current laws were enacted.
With the Immigration, Passports, and Citizenship Amendment Bills of 2026 – now referred to the Standing Committee on Justice, Law, and Human Rights – Naupoto stated that cross-border movement has increased significantly, while technology has transformed travel, communication, and identity verification.
The review is funded by the International Organisation for Migration.
Naupoto says to protect our borders, Fiji needs a legal framework that is flexible, responsive, and capable of addressing both current and future challenges.
“We now face real and evolving risks, including identity fraud and document forgery, human trafficking, irregular migration and organised criminal networks exploiting border systems. Our current legislative framework, Mr Speaker, Sir, while having served us well, was designed for a more static environment. It is no longer sufficient to respond effectively to these modern challenges.”
Naupoto stresses that Fiji must balance border protection with the responsibility to facilitate legitimate travel, support tourism, attract investment, and enable labor mobility to drive economic growth and international engagement.
“The three Bills before us form a single integrated amendments architecture. They are deliberately designed to work together as one coordinated package, ensuring consistency and alignment across our key legal frameworks. Together, these amendments bring immigration control, travel documentation, and citizenship into a single coherent and modern system. This ensures that the way we manage entry and exit, verify identity and determine citizenship status is properly connected and mutually reinforcing.”
The 2026 legislative package integrates immigration, passports, and citizenship into a single modern system to strengthen Fiji’s national sovereignty and border security.
Key updates include introducing biometric verification and advanced risk assessments, consolidating all travel documents to prevent fraud, and establishing permanent residency as the main pathway to citizenship.
These reforms aim to improve administrative efficiency, protect vulnerable migrants, and ensure that citizenship reflects a genuine, long-term connection to the country.
