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Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) was conferred 3 awards on 21 November 2016 at the APQO Conference 2016 held at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua, New Zealand. Commissioner, ICA was presented with the 2016 Global Performance Excellence Award (GPEA) (World Class), the Awards for Contributing to Excellence (ACE) Team Competition 2016 (3 Star) and Best in Innovation.

The GPEA, organised by the APQO, is awarded to organisations from the Asian and Pacific Rim countries who are recognised as exemplary companies of world class quality performance. ICA is among the 15 international organisations who were awarded the highest accolade, the World Class Award, under the Not For Profit Organisation category.

The ACE Team Awards recognises organisation's excellence in achieving new levels of performance. The ICA team showcased the Singapore Passport Story and the 3M Service Principles "Multiple Channels, Minimum Visits and Many Benefits" which drives ICA's service innovation was conferred with the award in recognition of its innovation effort.

During his acceptance speech, Commissioner ICA thanked the APQO for the award which served as an external validation and "testament of ICA's achievements as a global leader in border security and identification, as well as ICA's commitment and relentless efforts in its pursuit of business excellence and innovation".

ICA was formed on 1 Apr 2003 with the merger of the Singapore Immigration & Registration (SIR) with the border control functions of the Customs & Excise Department (CED), to better deal with global security threats. It is a department within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which oversees the lawful movement of people, goods and conveyances through the checkpoints. ICA also administers and upholds the laws on immigration, citizenship and national registration.

ICA is one of the most visible public organisations in Singapore that has touchpoints with its customers through the critical stages of their lives, and contact with every person in Singapore. Every day, ICA serves some 560,000 customers across all age groups, gender, races and nationalities. ICA operates in a dynamic and fast-paced environment driven by external factors, such as ever increasing demands in terms of workload volume and security requirements, which in turn fuels ICA's competitive drive to remain relevant and innovative to deliver its services efficiently.

To propel itself forward, ICA takes guidance from the Business Excellence Framework, and focuses on the three key areas of process, service and people excellence, with innovation excellence as the underlying lever. ICA has garnered many local and international awards for its many world-firsts' innovative and service initiatives, such as the Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System or eIACS (speedier automated immigration clearance facility for Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders without need for enrolment), the iCollect (a self-service document collection machine), the Biometrics Identification of Motorbikers or BIKES 2 (speedier immigration clearance for eligible motorcyclists/ pillion riders without need for enrolment), etc.

ICA's relentless efforts in the pursuit of business excellence has led ICA to be recognised locally and internationally as a leading authority in border security and identification. To be future-ready, ICA has embarked on its transformation journey that will take the organisation thorough to 2025 through its 5 strategic thrusts of Future-Ready Checkpoint, Services Centre Next Gen, Future-Proofing the ICA Heartware through H.O.P.E, Game-Changing Systems and Power of Information.