SEREMBAN: Only 65 per cent of employers in this state have conducted the verification process for the Workforce Recalibration Programme 2.0 (RTK 2.0) for their foreign workers so far, said Negeri Sembilan Immigration Department director, Kennith Tan Ai Kiang (pix).
He urged the remaining employers to do so promptly at the department’s office in Senawang as the programme concludes on March 31.
“Employers need to be aware of this requirement because there will be further processes for their legalisation after the verification,“ he said during a press conference at the Immigration Office in the Ampangan Urban Transformation Centre, here today.
Earlier, the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, clarified that the verification process followed the conclusion of the registration phase for RTK 2.0 on Dec 31 last year, during which approximately 1.1 million foreign workers were registered.
Saifuddin emphasised that employers discovered to be still employing foreign workers without valid documents after the verification process concludes could face charges under Sections 55B, 55E, and 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Amendment 2002).
Tan reported that as of March 13, a total of 787 undocumented migrants, including 32 children, had been registered in the Migrant Repatriation programme to facilitate voluntary repatriation, which commenced on March 1.
He noted that all of them had committed offences under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid visas and Section 15(1)(c) for overstaying.
“Looking at the statistics, Indonesians are the majority, with a total of 443 individuals,“ he added, mentioning that not all registrants were from Indonesia, however.
As for the situation at the Lenggeng Immigration Depot, he assured that no congestion had been reported at the facility, which can accommodate 1,000 individuals.
Furthermore, he stated that as of Feb 29, a total of 3,138 migrants had been inspected, with 477 detained, indicating an increase compared to the same period last year.
According to him, the department will also focus more on enforcement at five hotspot locations in Seremban and Nilai, which are known for undocumented migrant activities.
He also refuted claims that the department was not enforcing regulations in the Nilai 3 area near here, which is said to be dominated by foreign nationals, particularly in the business sector.
“Nilai 3 indeed has many foreign nationals. Some have valid permits and some do not. It can be challenging for us to prove their wrongdoing because we need evidence, including work punch cards and other documents.
“That’s why it takes time because we need to deploy plainclothes officers, conduct undercover operations, and so on, to ensure they are indeed committing offenses,“ he said.
He added that the department continually conducts targeted operations at premises, including through surveillance and public complaints, to curb the influx of illegal immigrants in the state. –Bernama
