Monrovia — The Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) has commenced placement exams for over 8,000 Liberians aspiring to join the ranks of the nation's immigration officers. The exams, which began today, Wednesday, are part of a rigorous recruitment process aimed at selecting 500 individuals from the large pool of applicants.

Abraham Dolley, a senior member of the LIS Vetting Team, disclosed on Tuesday that the agency initially received nearly 10,000 applications. However, more than 1,500 of these were disqualified due to applicants not meeting the age requirements outlined in the recruitment guidelines.

"We received a significant number of applications--close to 10,000," Dolley stated. "However, we had to disqualify over 1,500 applicants who did not meet the age requirement. The remaining 8,000 individuals will now have the opportunity to sit for the placement exams."

The placement exams are being administered across four locations: Montserrado, Grand Bassa, River Gee, and Tubmanburg. Dolley emphasized that the selection process will be thorough, involving additional screenings with the assistance of the National Identification Registry and the Armed Forces of Liberia.

"Following the exams, each of the 8,000 individuals will undergo a comprehensive screening process," Dolley explained. "We are working closely with the National Identification Registry and the Armed Forces of Liberia to ensure that only the most qualified candidates are selected."

Dolley assured the public that the recruitment process would be transparent and merit-based, with the ultimate goal of selecting the best 500 candidates from the group.

"We are committed to a fair and transparent recruitment process," Dolley said. "Only the best 500 candidates will be chosen to serve as officers of the Liberia Immigration Service."

He also noted that while the demand for jobs is high, discussions are ongoing to place an additional 500 recruits on standby, should there be additional budgetary allotments.