Kuala lumpur: The Immigration Department (JIM) has stepped up enforcement operations following a rise in the misuse of Social Visit Passes (SVPs) by foreign nationals, its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said. He highlighted that the department is focusing on curbing the increasing trend of SVP-related offences.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Immigration records indicated 1,279 arrests for SVP-related offences in 2023. This figure rose to 2,644 in 2024, before slightly decreasing to 2,630 in 2025. As of July 15 this year, 451 arrests had been made for foreigners found working while holding SVPs, which falls under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 and remains one of the common immigration violations in Malaysia.
Datuk Zakaria Shaaban emphasized the department's commitment to tackling the issue, stating, "We will not compromise. We will continue pursuing those who abuse their immigration passes, particularly individuals who commit offences involving the misuse of these passes." He made these remarks after the 2026 Immigration Day celebration, themed 'Charting a New Face of Immigration', attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had called for strict enforcement actions against foreign nationals misusing SVPs or visa exemptions for employment in Malaysia.
In addition to addressing SVP abuse, Zakaria noted that the new version of the Malaysian International Passport has seen significant uptake, with 63,475 passports issued since the rollout began on July 1. The implementation is now in its third phase, with several passport issuing offices across the country providing the new passports to applicants.
Concurrently, the government's Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 is receiving robust participation. As of July 15, it has involved 275,755 foreign nationals from 114 countries, generating RM137.76 million in revenue for the government.