Om Astha Rai

As Malaysia reaches closer to announcing a general amnesty for all illegal migrants, it has stopped accepting applications for the approval of new work visas.

The halt of acceptance of work visa applications will remain in effect during the process of legalizing or returning illegal workers after the announcement of the amnesty. According to Dr Rishi Raj Adhikari, Nepal´s ambassador to Malaysia, it will take four months for Malaysia to legalize or send home all illegal workers.

This means that the entry of Nepali migrant workers into Malaysia will be halted for at least four months. However, Kumud Khanal, general secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, rules out the possibility of hindrance in Nepali workers´ entry into Malaysia.

“The Malaysian immigration department has stopped accepting work visa applications from June 10,” Khanal said. “But, the department will keep issuing work visas on the applications submitted till June 10. Therefore, Nepali workers´ entry into Malaysia will not be completely halted. Nepali workers aspiring to work in Malaysia need not worry about it.”

However, Khanal admitted that it will be difficult for Nepali workers to make their way into Malaysia if the Malaysian authorities issued only a limited number of work visas. On an average, over 10,000 Nepali workers fly to Malaysia for overseas jobs every month. Around 500,000 Nepali migrants are currently working in Malaysia, according to a report by Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) of Nepal.

Amnesty likely next week

Malaysia has already decided to announce a general amnesty for all illegal migrant workers, according to Ambassador Dr Adhikari. “Malaysian authorities now just need to fix the date for amnesty,” Dr Adhikari told Republica on Saturday. “They will most probably announce it next week.”

The Malaysian authorities have recently briefed Dr Adhikari about the details of the amnesty plan. “They said they will give one week for the dissemination of information about amnesty,” Dr Adhikari said. “All illegal Nepali workers will have to register their names in the following three weeks. And then, Malaysian authorities will either send back the illegal workers or legalize them in the next three months.”

The choice of gaining legal status to continue working in Malaysia or returning home will depend on the wishes of individual workers. “We will provide passports to those who want to continue working with renewed legal status,” Dr Adhikari said. “Those who want to return home will be given travel documents.” He said that those workers who return home taking the advantage of amnesty will be allowed to go to Malaysia even in future.

According to Dr Adhikari, July 10 has been proposed for the start of the amnesty period, but it will be announced only after a thorough discussion within the Malaysian cabinet. The number of Nepali migrants working illegally in Malaysia is uncertain they are scattered in different places. While Dr Adhikari estimates that some 50,000 Nepali migrants are working illegally in Malaysia, manpower agents say the number could be far higher.

As in other gulf countries, two types of illegal Nepali workers are in Malaysia: those who overstayed their visas and those who moved to other companies before the expiry of their visa periods. Earlier, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had announced similar kinds of amnesty for illegal migrant workers including Nepalis. While the period of amnesty announced by Saudi Arabia has already ended, the amnesty period for Kuwait-based illegal workers will end in three weeks.

Published on: 12 June 2011 | Republica