PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department is stepping up enforcement against employers who hire or harbour illegal immigrants, with 347 employers already penalised this year.
Its director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, said compounds totalling nearly RM6mil had been issued as of April 7.
In 2025, a total of 1,939 employers were penalised, with compounds exceeding RM36mil.
Apart from compounds, court action has also been taken.
“So far this year, court-imposed fines have exceeded RM1mil, while last year the total surpassed RM10mil,” he said at a press conference after a raid on a factory in Balakong on Wednesday (April 8).
Zakaria stressed that employers remain responsible for hiring illegal foreign workers, regardless of how these workers were recruited.
“Common excuses such as labour shortages or lack of quotas will not be accepted, as there are no exemptions under the law,” he said.
He also warned employers against engaging undocumented workers, noting that enforcement efforts would increasingly focus on them.
On the modus operandi, Zakaria said some cases involved unregistered agents supplying illegal workers to employers.
However, he stressed that employers could not shift the blame.
“Employers must take responsibility, as they are directly involved in hiring and paying these workers,” he said.
In 2025, a total of 454 employers were charged in court, while 57 had been charged as of February this year.
Employers found guilty may face compounding or prosecution, subject to the decision of the Deputy Public Prosecutor.
