Migrants who fail to leave will be deported and barred from Malaysia for life

PETALING JAYA: Migrants who failed to leave the country under the government’s recalibration programme, which ended on June 30, will be barred for life from entering Malaysia after deportation, says Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

He said those who had failed to return to their home countries would be detained at Immigration depots before being deported.

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“They will be detained in our depots and later deported.

“They will be barred from entering Malaysia for life,” he said, reported by FMT, in response to a large number of migrants who were left stranded at various exit points after not being able to go home.

It was reported that migrants crowded the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Stulang Laut International Ferry Terminal in Johor Baru to depart from Malaysia ahead of the deadline of the programme.

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On June 25, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said a total of 282,561 illegal immigrants had registered for the programme and 243,297 of them had been repatriated.

Under the programme, which started in November 2020, undocumented migrants were allowed to return to their home countries after meeting several criteria.

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Meanwhile, the portal reported Indonesian Ambassador Hermono as saying that he had received word that many migrants had missed their flights, but was unsure of their exact number.

“Migrants in Johor had to wait more than three days to pay their compounds before they received clearance to depart.

“We have yet to receive any information from the immigration department regarding what will happen to those who failed to depart the country,” he said.