CYBERJAYA - Malaysia detained 451 foreign nationals through July 15 for allegedly working or conducting business while holding social visit passes. Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban disclosed the figure on July 21 following the department’s Immigration Day event in Cyberjaya.
He said the cases involved foreigners who entered Malaysia on social visit or tourist passes but later took jobs or pursued other economic activities in breach of their pass conditions. The figure was included in the department’s latest immigration enforcement update.
Immigration recorded 1,279 arrests linked to social visit pass abuse in 2023. The total more than doubled to 2,644 in 2024 before easing slightly to 2,630 in 2025. The latest count covers the first six and a half months of 2026.
The July tally was lower than a separate count released in March, when Zakaria said 482 people had been detained for social visit pass abuse between January 1 and March 9.
Those cases included foreigners found working at restaurants and factories or helping to operate business premises without authorisation. Immigration gave no explanation for the difference between the March and July figures.
The social visit pass arrests formed a small part of a wider enforcement campaign. Officers carried out 7,105 operations nationwide and detained 41,596 foreigners for various immigration offences through July 15.
Authorities also took action against 1,127 employers accused of hiring or harbouring foreigners without valid permits or passes.
Zakaria said the visit pass cases involved people from several countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar, rejecting claims that the arrests were concentrated among one nationality.
“The cases are not dominated by any single nationality,” he said.
