Dept expects more illegals to leave if programmes extended

PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department expects more illegal immigrants to leave the country if the repatriation recalibration programme is extended until year-end, with close to 100, 000 foreigners having been sent home already.

Its director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the extension of the programme was necessary as the department needed more time to process existing applications.

The Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown had somewhat affected the smooth running of the programme, he said.