THE Immigration Department will cancel all Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) identified as having been approved irregularly and locate the holders for further enforcement action.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the move was the first step taken following findings from Ops Crack, a joint operation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that uncovered irregular approvals involving PLKS applications.
He said the department would first trace the whereabouts of all individuals involved before enforcement measures were carried out.
“Firstly, our action is to cancel all PLKS that were approved irregularly and subsequently trace where they are located.
“At this stage, I can only say they are in several locations. We cannot reveal details because if they are disclosed now, they may escape,” he said at a joint press conference with MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman in Putrajaya on Friday.
Earlier reports stated that 12 individuals, including six Immigration officers and a police officer, were detained by MACC over alleged involvement in a syndicate that hacked the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) to illegally approve Temporary Employment Visit Pass applications.
The syndicate was believed to have manipulated the system by using 2011 PLKS quotas without paying the required levies, resulting in the issuance of 1,306 fraudulent PLKS and causing estimated losses of RM2.4 million to the government.
Abd Halim previously said the suspects were detained in an integrated operation known as Ops Crack, conducted in collaboration with the Immigration Department.
Those arrested included two company directors, three foreign nationals, four Immigration officers, two Immigration Information Technology Division officers and a police officer.
The investigation is focused on alleged system manipulation, abuse of authority and irregular approvals involving foreign worker permits. - July 31, 2026