The Immigration Department has been urged to put off a nationwide crackdown against illegal foreign workers and employers, who harboured them, until after the Chinese New Year (CNY).

In making the call, MCA deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek said restaurateurs, laundry operators, traders and hawkers would be badly affected if the department went ahead with the operation starting Feb 15, the second day of the CNY.

"The timing is bad and is not industry-friendly. Traders will suffer big losses instead raking in huge profit during the CNY festival," he told reporters after meeting traders at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Immigration Department will begin a nationwide crackdown in cooperation with the police and Rela on Feb 15 to nab nearly 40,000 Indian citizens who went missing after their tourist visas-on-arrival expired while errant employers will be charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

Dr Chua said the traders called for visas for foreign workers in the service sector to be extended from five to eight years as locals were not interested to work with them.

Dr Chua said the traders also called on the Home Ministry, the Immigration Department and Human Resources Ministry to have better coordination in dealing with foreign workers and hold more frequent dialogues with them on new polices.

- Bernama