Special counters to reduce congestion

PUTRAJAYA: Immigration offices will operate on weekends until the end of the month to accommodate the registration of 1.8 million legal foreign workers in the country.

Immigration Department director- general Datuk Alias Ahmad, in a press statement, said the decision was made following the postponement of the '6P' legalisation and amnesty exercise for illegal immigrants to Aug 1.

The registration of legal foreign workers, which kicked off yesterday, can be done at Immigration Department counters in Peninsular Malaysia.


"Companies with over 500 foreign workers can request for a special counter to be set up at their own premises for the registration.

"Hopefully, this initiative will help reduce crowding and long queues at our offices," he said, yesterday.

Alias made it clear that no charge would be imposed for registration and warned of attempts by unscrupulous quarters who might pose as registration agents or representatives.


Should anyone come across such cases, Alias urged them to lodge a report with both the police and Immigration Department.

Registration of legal foreign workers, via a biometric system will see data such as workplace, employer and salary collected in an effort to reduce social issues and crimes linked to the group.

The biometric registration will also tackle problems of legal foreign workers fleeing their employers to gain amnesty.


Earlier, when met by reporters, Alias said that over 1,200 officers had been deployed to help in the exercise.

The immigration offices would be open from 8am till 10pm daily.

In Butterworth, foreign workers and employers began swarming the state Immigration Department yesterday for the biometric registration exercise.

Hundreds of immigrant workers and employers began arriving at the department's headquarters in Seberang Jaya from 8am.

State director Abdul Qadir Siddiq Ahmad said the department was extending its services up to 10pm daily to accommodate the 91,707 immigrant workers registered in Penang to complete their biometric registration process.

Under the exercise, immigrant workers are required to provide their fingerprints to the government which is setting up a biometric database.

The registration of legal workers will run until the end of this month followed by the registration of illegal immigrants from Aug 1.

Restoran Subaidah (M) Sdn Bhd immigrant worker manager, R. Kalaiselvan who was among the employers who completed the registration yesterday, said he decided to come early to avoid the last-minute rush.

Kalaiselvan, who accompanied 20 Indian workers, praised the introduction of the biometric system as it would eliminate the issue of illegal workers.

His statement was echoed by Concept Group operation manager Loh Boon Keong who said the database would also help employers to verify the legal status of immigrant workers and reduce the risk of hiring illegals.