The biometric registration of legal foreign workers scheduled to end on Sunday has been extended indefinitely.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the programme would run in tandem with the registration of illegal foreign workers set to begin on Monday.

"Employers should not delay registration," he told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

NONE Hishammuddin, who had handed over identification documents to Indians at the Putra World Trade Centre, said the registration of foreign workers was important for the government to be prepared to handle cross-border crimes often linked to immigrants.  

“The rise in the number of unaccounted foreign workers can undermine national security, and then it will be too late,” he said when asked to comment on the request by employers to have the registration deadline extended.  

Also present at the event were Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam, Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Maglin Dennis D’Cruz and Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam.

'Not a question of extension but resolution'

 

Replying to a question on the extension period, Hishammuddin said it was not a question of extension but resolution, adding that the earlier the registration was completed, the earlier the matter could be resolved.

“In other words, the biometric registration will go on until further notice. I have learned that setting a deadline will only result in everyone coming to register at the last moment,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of foreign workers not registering for lack of a deadline, Hishammuddin said the authorities could decide on deportation.

"They cannot blame the government if they do not register and are deported," he said.

Deportation is the last resort under the programme of six measures (6P) which begins with registration. The others are legalisation, amnesty, monitoring and enforcement.

The 6P programme is aimed at gathering data on illegal immigrants, such as their place of work, employer and salary in the attempt to overcome social and crime issues often linked to these people.

Since the start of the biometric registration on July 13, some 390,404 foreign workers engaged by 26,894 employers in the country have responded.

- Bernama