KUALA LUMPUR – The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has seen a significant surge in the arrival of foreign workers, attributed to employers hastily bringing in their workers ahead of the government-imposed deadline on May 31, 2024.
Immigrations Department Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said that the recent spike in the number of foreign workers arriving at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 is directly related to employers’ last-minute efforts to meet tomorrow’s deadline set by the government for the entry of foreign labour.
Additionally, every incoming foreign worker is required to undergo health checks and verification processes at KLIA, he said.
He said on average, the daily arrival of foreign workers ranges between 500 to 1,000 individuals under normal circumstances.
However, this number began to rise sharply, reaching approximately 2,500 arrivals per day on May 22, 2024 and escalating further between 4,000 and 4,500 per day by May 27, 2024, Ruslin added.
“The department anticipates that the number of arrivals will continue to increase until the deadline as airlines have reported an uptick in flights to accommodate the surge in demand,” he said.
He said the Immigration Department, in collaboration with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, has implemented several measures to manage the congestion and ensure the comfort of other passengers at KLIA.
These measures include increasing the number of counters to expedite verification and health checks, deploying additional immigration officers and providing welfare support such as food and beverages for foreign workers at the terminals.
He said the department will continue to monitor and improve the situation, urging employers to cooperate fully by promptly completing the immigration inspection processes for their workers to alleviate the congestion in the arrival halls. – May 30, 2024