PUTRAJAYA – A total of 250,000 applications are expected to be submitted under the Illegal Immigration Recalibration Plan encompassing two main components namely the Return Recalibration Programme and the Labour Recalibration Programme, said Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
He said as of last Wednesday, the Immigration Department had received 478 applications from employers for the programmes involving 1,980 illegal immigrants.
“All the applications were received via email and starting Wednesday, employers can submit their applications via the official Immigration portal,” he told a press conference here today.
The Return Recalibration Programme allows illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin voluntarily subject to specific stipulated conditions while the Labour Recalibration Programme regularises illegal immigrants in the country as foreign workers who could be employed by eligible employers
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the Illegal Immigrant Recalibration Plan would be implemented from November 16 to June 30 next year by the Immigration Department in collaboration with the Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department and other related agencies without involving vendors or third parties.
Khairul Dzaimee said only employers operating in four sectors, namely construction, manufacturing, plantation and agriculture were allowed to submit applications for the Labour Recalibration Programme.
“Employers will be given a quota for the employment of foreign workers and it is based on the current eligibility ratio,” he said, adding the programme was only for illegal immigrants from 15 countries.
According to him, a total of 12,400 illegal immigrants were currently being detained at 14 detention depots in the peninsula with most of them being from Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
As for the Return Recalibration Programme, Khairul Dzaimee said it allows illegal immigrants who have committed certain offences to voluntarily return to their home countries.
Among the illegal immigrants who are eligible for the programme are those who found to be in the country illegally and have overstayed.
“Eligible illegal immigrants need to set an appointment online through the Online Appointment System and come to the Immigration office on the set date.
“They must also bring along certain documents such as flight tickets to their countries of origin and are also required to settle the compound before the Immigration Department can issue a special pass or Check Out Memo to them,” he said.– Bernama, December 4, 2020
