KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian immigration rules stipulate that new migrant workers disembarking at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) are to be sent back to their home countries if they are not picked up by their employers within six hours of their arrival.
In emphasising this, Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the period would only be extended under certain specific circumstances. The migrants are not allowed to leave the arrival hall until they are claimed by their employers, he added.
“This is to ensure that all foreign workers have a legitimate employer. Failure by the employers to abide by this rule will result in the employees being issued a ‘Not to Land’ notice, and they will be ordered home via the next flight,” he said in a statement today.
Khairul Dzaimee added that employers are obligated to wait for the arrival of their new migrant workers at KLIA.
“They are responsible for managing the workers’ documentation and verifying that they are indeed the employers of the said workers.”
His statement comes in light of a Facebook post by a blogger accusing the Immigration Department of imposing unrealistic rules pertaining to foreign workers’ arrival into the country.
“On the issue of foreign workers’ influx, it is quite odd that if they are not picked up within six hours by their employers they will be ordered home by immigration,” said the Facebook user.
“But if the Immigration Department is late, to the point that the workers are stuck at the Immigration counters for up to 12 hours, the department does not want to claim responsibility,” the person alleged.
“In the end, industry players will blame the Human Resources Ministry,” the user added.
Responding to the allegation, Khairul Dzaimee said his department is currently contemplating initiating legal proceedings against the individual.
“We regret the baseless accusation made by the blogger, which can provoke misunderstanding among Keluarga Malaysia,” he said. – The Vibes, September 28, 2022
