KUALA LUMPUR: About 80 per cent of illegal foreign workers in the country have not applied for the Enforcement card (E-card) since its introduction on Feb 15, said Immigration Department director-general Datuk Mustafar Ali.
Mustafar said that as at April 26, only a total of 68,580 illegal foreign workers have applied for the E-card from about 600,000 which are believed to be working in the country.
“The response received from the employers is disappointing. It is important for them to note that they have only been given until June 30 to apply for the E-card before we take action against them,” he told reporter during a joint operation at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall here this evening.
He said the joint operation was part of a nationwide effort which involved several agencies including the National Registration Department (NRD), Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
A total of 1,284 illegal foreign workers, including 211 from Pavilion here, have been detained in the nationwide operations which started Friday.
He added that a total of 14,787 illegal foreign workers have been detained from January until April 25, with a large number of illegals hailing from Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines.