Latest news with #MigrantRepatriationProgramme2.0
The Star
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘Supply chains could be disrupted'
FMM cites knock-on effect from extended migrant repatriation programme PETALING JAYA: The extended Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 may have a knock-on effect on the nation's manufacturing sector due to disruptions in the supply chain, says the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. Its president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said while the programme would have little impact on the manufacturing industry as a whole, the sudden exit of foreign workers could disrupt supply chains. 'Our members mostly do not employ undocumented workers due to stringent audit requirements and high compliance expectations from both regulators and international clients. 'But the sudden departure of undocumented workers from other sectors, coupled with the current freeze on foreign worker recruitment, could result in a disruption to our supply chains and have a knock-on effect in various sectors, including manufacturing. 'The government must ensure a continuous and legally compliant supply of foreign workers to meet the needs of businesses and maintain industrial sustainability,' he said when contacted. For the programme to achieve success, Soh emphasised the necessity of implementing it alongside coordinated enforcement, public education and structural reforms aimed at addressing the underlying causes of undocumented employment. 'The misuse of business licences by locals, which enables undocumented workers to operate outside the legal employment system, is also a systemic issue that is unresolved,' he said. Soh suggested the government fast track the anti-Ali Baba law to prevent foreign workers from illegally operating businesses. 'We have consistently highlighted that this law is critical to tackling the root causes of undocumented employment and illegal business operations,' he added. Soh also said that more clarification is needed with regard to plans to allow foreign workers to transfer between employers across sectors. He said the proposal was merely communicated through an internal circular by the Immigration Department and lacked subsequent public clarity and implementation details. 'This has created uncertainty among employers and must be addressed promptly if the government intends for this mechanism to work in tandem with the repatriation programme,' he said. The government initially implemented the programme from March 1 to Dec 31 last year. It allowed undocumented migrants to return to their home countries without facing prosecution by paying a compound fine of between RM300 and RM500. On Friday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the programme would be extended until April 30 next year. Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia president Datuk William Ng said the government should consider legalising undocumented migrant workers if they were already gainfully employed. 'If they entered Malaysia illegally, knowing full well they were going to be working without documentation, why would they surrender themselves?' he said when contacted. Unlike Singapore, Ng said Malaysia doid not have problems with regard to the availability of land for workers' housing. 'It makes little sense to approach the issue of migrant workers as though they are depriving local individuals of employment opportunities. 'They are not, and this is starving our industry of growth,' he said. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Nivas Ragavan said the extension was a welcome move but needed better coordination. 'While digitalisation has helped the process, inconsistent enforcement and sudden changes in requirements often cause delays. 'More coordination between agencies would help,' he said. He also mentioned that there continued to be a shortage, particularly in the semi-skilled and low-skilled sectors. 'The repatriation programme may worsen this in the short term unless it is balanced with streamlined legal recruitment channels.'
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
NRI organisations come to aid of illegal Telugu workers in Malaysia
Hyderabad: With the Malaysian govt rolling out a repatriation programme for undocumented workers, the Telugu community in Malaysia has taken steps to make sure that the as many Telugu workers as possible are aware of the programme so that they can make use of it. The Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 introduced by the country's immigration department began on May 19, 2025, and will continue until April 30, 2026. A large number of Indian workers, including those from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, work in Malaysia, with thousands staying there as illegal workers. Most of the workers are said to be from Nizamabad, Adilabad, Warangal, and Mahabubnagar. Promised a well-paying job by agents, these workers reach Malaysia on a visit visa and stay in the country illegally. These illegal workers are mostly employed in rubber and oil palm plantations and are said to earn about 30,000 a month. The Federation of NRI Cultural Associations in Malaysia, comprising mainly Telugu organisations, has started to share information about the repatriation programme among the local Telugu people. Several NGOs and NRI organisations are set to participate in Ugadi celebrations on May 25, wherein it will be discussed how best the message can be conveyed to workers, as sometimes it is challenging to reach out to them since they work in remote areas and hardly have any contact with the outside world. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ative o software antivírus do seu computador Clique aqui Undo "It is such workers who need to know about the repatriation programme. If they are caught staying illegally, they will have to pay a huge fine and face a jail sentence," the federation's president Mohan Reddy Bureddy told TOI on Wednesday. If the repatriation facility is used, the illegal worker will need only to pay RM 500, which is 10,000 as a fine, and leave the country. An illegal worker, otherwise, will have to pay a fine of RM 10,000, which is 2 lakh, and face imprisonment of up to five years. The Telugu associations are advising workers to approach the immigration department offices, pay the requisite fine, and leave the country.
The Star
21-05-2025
- The Star
KL Immigration nets RM4.6mil in compounds from 272 ops this year to date
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 272 operations resulting in 1,789 detentions of undocumented migrants have been conducted in the city by the Immigration Department this year. Its Kuala Lumpur director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said those detained were the result of checks on 3,587 foreigners from Jan 1 up to Tuesday (May 20). The department also collected RM4.59mil in compounds during the same period, he added. "The operations are conducted daily without fail, as our priority is enforcement to safeguard the nation's security and sovereignty. "We also detained 68 local and foreign employers for hiring undocumented migrants," he told a press conference at KL Immigration headquarters on Wednesday (May 21). "We also opened 1,551 investigation papers for various offences, including overstaying and abuse of passes. "Among the highest number of detainees were those from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan," he said. On the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0, Wan Mohammed Saupee said 96 people have signed up so far since the start of the programme on Monday (May 19). "We also collected RM26,840 in compounds and special passes," he added.
New Straits Times
17-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 extended to April 30 next year
KUALA LUMPUR: The Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 (PRM 2.0) has been extended to April 30 next year and will begin this May 19. Immigration Department deputy director-general (operations) Jafri Embok Taha said the repatriation programme offers foreigners without valid documents to voluntarily return to their original country. "At the same time, enforcement operations will carry on as usual even with the repatriation programme in force," he said during a media conference after attending Op Kutip at a shopping complex here today. Enforcement operations such as Op Kutip were vital in reducing the number of illegal immigrants in the country and to tackle the issues due to their presence, Jafri said, adding that 5,090 operations were conducted throughout the country with 67,574 individuals checked as of May 15. From that total, 1,886 were found to be United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders, while 19,193 illegals were detained, along with 680 employers for various immigration offences. "Another 15,422 illegals were detained at entry points attempting to either enter or leave the country, with 34,615 people being caught in the past five months," Jafri said, noting that there was a significant rise in arrests this year after the Immigration Department declared 2025 as its enforcement year. "We don't have an accurate number of how many illegals are out there, but based on the number of arrests, there is an increase compared to previously, with operations being conducted nearly daily throughout the country," he said. On the two-hour long operation today, he said that 964 people - 273 foreigners and 691 locals - were checked and 143 people arrested, 56 Indonesians, 32 Pakistanis, 26 Bangladeshis, 10 Indian and Myanmar nationals each, four Syrians, three Nepalis and an Afghan and a Chinese. "The 110 men and 33 women, aged 22 to 48, are suspected of not having valid identification documents, violating pass conditions, overstaying, holding unrecognised cards and other offences under the Immigration Act and will be placed in the Immigration Detention Depot for investigation and further action," he said. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had announced yesterday that the government agreed to extend the repatriation programme, which will begin this Monday till April 30, 2026 following the end of the first repatriation programme on March 31, after obtaining consent from supervisory agencies, including the Attorney-General's Chambers. – BERNAMA
The Sun
17-05-2025
- The Sun
Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 extended to April 30 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 (PRM 2.0) has been extended to April 30 next year and will begin this May 19. Immigration Department deputy director-general (operations) Jafri Embok Taha said the repatriation programme offers foreigners without valid documents to voluntarily return to their original country. 'At the same time, enforcement operations will carry on as usual even with the repatriation programme in force,' he said during a media conference after attending Op Kutip at a shopping complex here today. Enforcement operations such as Op Kutip were vital in reducing the number of illegal immigrants in the country and to tackle the issues due to their presence, Jafri said, adding that 5,090 operations were conducted throughout the country with 67,574 individuals checked as of May 15. From that total, 1,886 were found to be United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders, while 19,193 illegals were detained, along with 680 employers for various immigration offences. 'Another 15,422 illegals were detained at entry points attempting to either enter or leave the country, with 34,615 people being caught in the past five months,' Jafri said, noting that there was a significant rise in arrests this year after the Immigration Department declared 2025 as its enforcement year. 'We don't have an accurate number of how many illegals are out there, but based on the number of arrests, there is an increase compared to previously, with operations being conducted nearly daily throughout the country,' he said. On the two-hour long operation today, he said that 964 people - 273 foreigners and 691 locals - were checked and 143 people arrested, 56 Indonesians, 32 Pakistanis, 26 Bangladeshis, 10 Indian and Myanmar nationals each, four Syrians, three Nepalis and an Afghan and a Chinese. 'The 110 men and 33 women, aged 22 to 48, are suspected of not having valid identification documents, violating pass conditions, overstaying, holding unrecognised cards and other offences under the Immigration Act and will be placed in the Immigration Detention Depot for investigation and further action,' he said. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had announced yesterday that the government agreed to extend the repatriation programme, which will begin this Monday till April 30, 2026 following the end of the first repatriation programme on March 31, after obtaining consent from supervisory agencies, including the Attorney-General's Chambers.
