Repatriation programme gets extension
PUTRAJAYA: The Migrant Repatriation Programme will be extended for another year, says the Home Ministry.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the programme, which allows illegal migrants in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan to return home without facing legal action, will now conclude on April 30, 2026.
He said a RM500 compound will be imposed on those who overstayed or entered the country illegally, and those who breached the conditions of their passes will be compounded RM300.
He said a payment of RM20 is needed for the issuance of a special pass to leave the country.
'Foreign children under 18 years old will be exempted from compounds,' he told reporters at the Immigration Department's Excellent Service Award 2024 here yesterday.
Saifuddin said those who had applied for the programme but failed to return to their home country within the stipulated time are not entitled to apply again.
'Those who are blacklisted or had been issued with warrants of arrest are also not eligible for the programme,' he said, urging those with foreign spouses who had overstayed to report to the Immigration Department's Visa, Passes and Permits Division to resolve the matter.
Warm welcome: Saifuddin (second from left) inspecting the honour guard at the Immigration Department's Excellent Service Award 2024 ceremony in Putrajaya. With him is (left) Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban. — Bernama
He called on the public, including foreign workers and employers, to help disseminate this information to avoid a last-minute rush.
Dubbing 2025 as the 'year of enforcement', Saifuddin said large-scale operations against illegal immigrants would be conducted at hotspots nationwide.
He warned that employers who hire illegal immigrants will face strict action, including fines of up to RM50,000 for each undocumented worker.
He said they are also liable to a jail term of up to five years and six strokes of the rotan if found guilty.
As of May 13, a total of 34,287 undocumented immigrants and 669 employers have been arrested for immigration-related offences.
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