Malaysia tightens its immigration policies

Dec 3, 2018, Kathmandu . In yet another stern move, Malaysia has further tightened its immigration policies. It has barred entry of 63,000 foreigners involved in breaching immigration related rules. 

The Malaysian Immigration Department said that it has barred citizens of various countries from entering Malaysia again by keeping them in blacklist as they were found guilty in various criminal activities and carrying out activities against the immigration rules among others. 

Many Nepalis are also those who are in the blacklist. Malaysia has been barring many Nepalis from entering the nation by blacklisting them for their alleged involvement in misusing the visa. 

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Director General of the Immigration Department Mustafar Ali said that the department has blacklisted 63,000 foreign citizens in a span of 11 months from January this year. 

Those who are blacklisted and deported from Malaysia will not be allowed to enter the country for a specific time or until the department withdraws the ban, he said. 

Director General Ali clarified that those who are enlisted in the blacklist and had already received e-visa from the Immigration Department and vendors involved in administering e-visas will not be allowed to enter Malaysia. He further made it clear that there is no guarantee that the foreigners who had received e-visa could immediately enter the country. 

Ali said that if the persons who are enlisted in the blacklist try to enter Malaysia they will be send back to their country by issuing a ‘Not to Land’ notice. 

The biggest challenge of Malaysia is to control corruption and to manage illegal migrant workers, he said. 

Meanwhile, Ali said from January until now, 45,000 illegal immigrants had been arrested for various offences under the Immigration Act. It has been suspected that most of those who are enlisted in the blacklist are illegal migrant workers. 

With the formation of a new government in Malaysia in May, the government has been tightening the immigration related policies. 

Earlier in September, four staffers had been arrested for allowing the persons who are enlisted in the blacklist to enter Malaysia. 

According to news reports, the staffers were found issuing visa by taking bribe from them. 

The government has been targeting those who were involved in human trafficking and assisting them in such a heinous crime and investigating them and also keeping a watchful eye on them. 

Malaysia has been carrying out screening and checks on people who are entering Malaysia through 137 land, sea and air entry points.