KUALA LUMPUR – The Immigration Department has intensified nationwide enforcement efforts following a continued rise in cases involving foreigners who misuse social visit passes to work or conduct business activities in Malaysia.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the department recorded 1,279 arrests in 2023, with the number increasing to 2,644 in 2024 before slightly declining to 2,630 last year, as reported by Kosmo!.
As of July 15, 451 foreigners had been arrested for similar offences, he said.
According to Zakaria, those detained had entered Malaysia using social visit or tourist passes but later carried out employment or economic activities that were not permitted under the conditions of their stay.
Speaking at a press conference in conjunction with the 104th Immigration Day celebration in Cyberjaya on July 21, he said the department would continue taking firm action against individuals who violate immigration regulations.
Meanwhile, Zakaria said Immigration had conducted 7,105 enforcement operations nationwide as of July 15, resulting in the detention of 41,596 foreigners for various immigration offences.
He said the operations were part of efforts under the 2026 Year of Enforcement initiative, which focuses on strengthening action against the misuse of immigration documents and breaches of the Immigration Act.
The department had also taken action against 1,127 employers for employing or providing shelter to foreigners without valid permits or passes.
“This shows that we will no longer compromise on the misuse of regulations and the Immigration Act,” he said.
On the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0, Zakaria said 275,755 foreigners from 114 countries had participated in the programme as of July 15, generating RM137.76 million in revenue for the government.
He said the initiative allows undocumented migrants to return voluntarily to their home countries while helping ease pressure on immigration detention centres.
Separately, Zakaria said 63,475 new-version Malaysian International Passports had been issued between July 1 and July 17, following the launch of the upgraded document.
He added that the third phase of the rollout was underway, with more passport offices nationwide now providing the new passports.
